


Ultimate Hero Team-Up (working title)

by DropsOfJupiterOnARavenclaw



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Crossover, Demigods, Demigods at Hogwarts, Demigods mentoring wizards, F/M, Fluff, Good side actively plotting, How do wizards react to gods?, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Meddling Albus Dumbledore, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other couples will be added as the story goes, Powerful Percy Jackson, Smart Harry Potter, Team Up, What Have I Done, What-If, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:53:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 130,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DropsOfJupiterOnARavenclaw/pseuds/DropsOfJupiterOnARavenclaw
Summary: Imagine an alternate universe where both, Camp Half-Blood and Hogwarts exist.The two collide as Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is about to begin when Dumbledore calls in a favor from his old friend Chiron. The seven have just defeated Gaea and were hoping for a quiet summer to recover. Instead, they find themselves entangled in another war, another prophecy, another world.***edited version, no longer in first person pov***
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 351
Kudos: 753





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One, Percy:

He guessed whatever was going on must be serious. Following Annabeth into the Big house, Percy saw his friends, specifically those who took part in the quest against Gaea last summer. They stood in a semi-circle around the almighty ping pong table that existed at the center of every important debate at Camp Half-Blood.

That didn't stop him from eating the blue muffin he had snatched from the dining pavilion before they left, Annabeth glared at him, Percy shrugged. Whatever new big baddie was in town could wait till he had eaten his muffin. Seriously, the big showdown with Gaea had only happened three months ago, there was no way anything remotely as dangerous was coming their way now. Not again. Not after such a short amount of time.

Annabeth had given up on glaring at him and was instead anxiously waiting for Chiron just like everyone else. Next to her stood Leo, tinkering with something small and metallic that Percy couldn't quite make out as he was talking to Frank. 

Hazel sat on the edge of the almighty ping pong table, listening to them and twirling a strand of her cinnamon hair. Half a step away, Jason and Piper were leaning against the wall, conspiring in hushed voices. They were clad in armor and appeared to have come straight from the training ground.

He ate the last bite of muffin. Annabeth had one hand on the dagger which was loosely hanging at her side, not knowing what was going on made her even more uneasy than the rest of them, it was kind of a pet peeve of hers. Which Percy found adorable, don't tell her that though.

He dropped his arm over her shoulders, which seemed to take the edge away. She smiled at him like she wanted to say 'I know, after all we've seen, how bad can this be?' Percy smiled back reassuringly.

Just then the door opened again and Chiron came in. Rolled in? Entered the room in his wheelchair? Whatever. 

Anyways, his horse half was hidden and he had a deep scowl on his face. For some reason there was a tiny grey owl riding on his shoulder. Percy was just about to point that out, when the owl screeched and looked at him importantly. Okay, weird amount of facial expression for a bird but now all seven demigods were looking at Chiron. He mustered them with a tired smile.  
Seven Teenagers with ADHD and mostly no regard for their superiors? In his head Percy counted down the seconds until someone would interrupt Chirons wistful thinking.  
5, He should be used to it, 4, by now. Silence never lasted, 3, long at camp, 2.  
Aaaaand, Leo took an uncertain step forward, 1, "so is there any specific reason you wanted to see us on this fine Sunday afternoon?"

Chiron sighed, but he didn't bother to scold Leo. Scratching his beard, he announced, "I have received notice from an old friend of mine and I fear it won't be long until we have another quest," he didn't make eye contact with any of us.

Jason looked at him glumly. He had been more than enjoying the peaceful time off with his girlfriend after all they'd been through. 'So had Annabeth and I for that matter,' thought Percy

To be honest, nobody in the room was too thrilled at the prospect of risking their lives for the gods. Again. 

"And with we," Jason said sounding incredibly tired, "I assume you mean us?" Gesturing around the room he assessed Chiron's calm demeanor.  
This time he looked at Jason, "I am afraid so. Sending you out again so soon is against my wishes as well but there are lives at stake and you are the only ones I trust with a quest as," he paused, "delicate as this one," his voice was calm and his wording sounded so deliberate and careful that Percy immediately began waiting for the bomb to drop.

'Delicate', he pondered what Chiron meant and wasn't surprised to see that Annabeth wore her determined-thinking expression, which meant she was hooked. Percy suppressed an exasperated grin, 'here we go again', he thought. And promptly got that annoying Abba song stuck in his head. Damn ADHD.

Looking around, he saw that Jason was standing up straighter, his expression was grim. It was like somebody had flicked a switch in his head that said 'Roman-Preator-mode', if there were lives at stake, he would save them. Percy felt the same way, if Chiron thought it had to be them, then it had to be them. Easy as that. They had fought to much to forfeit now.

Percy didn't like it, but Chiron gave direct orders so scarcely that he begrudgingly accepted the importance of this. Besides, he really wanted to know what was going on now and he doubt Chiron would have told him if he had refused.

Piper was holding Jason's hand and it was written all over her face that if he was going then so was she. 

Leo, Frank, and Hazel still looked quizically at Chiron, but they too wore looks of strict determination on their faces.  
Percy breathed out, "Then I suppose we have a new quest." 

Annabeth smiled despite herself and everyone else nodded and waited for Chiron to give us more information.

He frowned again, "this will be a quest unlike any other you have been on."  
'No two quests are the same', Percy thought, but kept his mouth shut.

"You will not just be required to fight monsters and face dangers yourself, you will also have to learn to accept a culture entirely different from your own," he glanced at the Romans, "yet again. But in a vastly more complicated way. It is crucial that you represent your kind well if you need to reveal yourselves. You will have to do so several times, however, a certain secrecy is key as well."

"So tell some but not everyone?" Said Frank with a confused look on his face.  
Chiron ignored him, "it is up to you who you elect to trust, mostly at least, you need to understand that choosing wisely will be crucial," he looked around earnestly.

Great, they didn't have the actual quest yet and this was already starting to sound like a riddle.  
Chiron was now focused on the owl which had hopped down to sit on his fake legs. 

"This mission will require you to learn new skills and practice endurance in a way you are not used to," he continued in his teacher's voice.  
Then, like it was a complete afterthought he added, "you will also have to travel to England. Just so you know."

Now that was unexpected. England, huh. Before Percy could mull it over, Chiron pulled a bundle of papers out of his wheelchairs side pocket, effectively holding everyone's attention. 

"That would be all I can tell you," he said, still holding up the strange stack of what looked like really old letters to Percy, so they all could see them. 

"You will obtain further information if you agree to go on this quest," he concluded, "but be warned."

The seven of them did what any sensible almost-adult with ten or more near-death experiences in their recent history would do. They agreed hastily and without giving it a second thought or talking to each other beforehand. 

Chrion shook his head and motioned for everyone to quiet down, "this is exactly how you can't act on that quest," there was just a smidge of panic in his voice now but he didn't explain further. Instead, he handed the letters to Hazel who began distributing them; one for each of them. 

"There is far more to this world and to that of the Gods than Roman and Greek, you will soon learn another part of it."  
Percy shared a brief look with Annabeth, wondering if their friends Sadie and Carter Kane could have anything to do with this. He hoped not, he absolutely hadn't liked the Egyptian stuff they dealt with. 

Right then Hazel handed him a letter. In dark green ink on old parchment it read; 

To Mr. Perseus Jackson,  
Camp Half-blood, Halfblood hill, long Island New York, USA

A place outside of camp that had this address? That was new. The handwriting was a neat cursive and a crimson red wax seal was holding it closed. Imprinted in the wax was the letter H, framed by four animals. A lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle.

He glanced up, Annabeth was still studying the wax. Leo had already broken it open and thrown it aside, the others were uncertainly looking up as well. 

He met Jason's eyes, Percy shrugged, Jason shrugged back. They both looked back down at their letters and opened them. Sometimes you didn't need many words. Sadly his letter contained a whole lot of those, most of which his dyslexia didn't seem to like.

Percy scowled and concentrated for what felt like half an eternity. Partly because the letter's intent just appeared too weird to be true and he kept thinking he had misread something, only to find that no, it just was really that weird. It read:

Dear Mr. Jackson,  
We are more than pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
Attached you will find a list of all school supplies you will need over the course of the year. The term begins on September 11th.  
We are awaiting your owl in return. Enjoy the rest of your summer,  
Kind Regards,  
Professor Minerva McGonagall, Vice Headmistress

Once he finally finished reading he was even more confused than before. Only Hazel seemed somewhat excited, being the only one of them who knew anything about magic.

Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair and looked at us expectantly, "Now, I gather you are all finished reading," he said and Percy's ears turned red as he realized that they must have been waiting for him. "Let me explain," Chiron proclaimed.

And explain he did. Not that Percy understood half of it, or even listened for half of it. His attention span of approximately 5 minutes for important stuff simply didn't allow that. Sorry, no can do. 

The summary of the part he understood was that these kinds of wizards they were talking about were kind of like legacies of Hecate, or mortals that had been blessed by her. Only that their kind existed since the ancient times, and learned to cultivate their magic without Hecates help. 

Most of them had even forgotten she existed. Magic now ran in their blood, passed down from parent to child without getting any weaker through the generations thanks to a deal one of the first witches had made with Hecate herself before she became forgotten. 

They didn't believe in the gods any longer and had their own ways to control magic completely, different from what we know and use. [ insert a bunch of technicalities he didn't get that Hazel asked about] 

Anyways, these wizards were hidden from the mortal world just like the Demigods were. They had their own politics and schools and entire towns supposedly, all hidden from none magic users. One of these schools, Hog something, the one they got the letters from, had apparently reached out to Chiron who was friends with the headmaster. Some crazy powerful guy with a really long and odd name that he couldn't be arsed to remember. 

That headmaster had asked Chiron for his support in a complicated situation that he believed to be an oncoming war among their kind. That was the part where Percy groaned loudly cause he absolutely had had enough of wars, no matter whos' war it was.

Chiron then explained that the headmaster was still hoping to prevent that war from breaking out. Unlikely if you asked Percy, knowing his luck it would blow up twice as big as expected. Not to mention that according to Chiron it all panned down to one teenage wizard, who was the center of some prophecy and apparently the only one who could stop this ultimate villain they were going against.  
Now that sounded oddly familiar, in fact, Percy hated how familiar it sounded. 

Somewhere out there was another teenage chosen one, tasked to save the entire freaking world. Great. His heart instantly went out to the guy, having seen some of Hazel's magic he strongly suspected if theirs was anything alike, this other guy didn't have fun times ahead.

Now this chosen one, Chiron said his name was Harry. What kind of name was Harry for a chosen one?  
Anyways, he was now 15 and had faced off against their enemy several times already, so far he had been able to stand his ground. 

Oh, and by the way, that enemy of his, V-weird french name something- lord, was of course out for world domination, probably had an army of evil on his side by now, was one of the most powerful wizards of their time and was seeking to kill or enslave anyone without magic powers. On top of that their politic system was being undermined and had begun to crumble.

Which brought them to the most important part, the school would be the next institution facing the influence of this evil dude in one way or another because it was considered important ground for the light side so naturally, it needed to be attacked as soon as possible. 

And since that was where this chosen one guy spent most of his time and had been almost killed several times, that was where they would be going. Why the guy himself kept going back there if he faced death by the end of almost every school year so far was beyond Percys understanding. Maybe he cared about school as much as Annabeth, she too would face near death in order to study. Percy shuddered and intently hoped the guy wasn't like Annabeth in that sense.

So essentially they would go to protect him, waiting for further notice or till they found a way to stop Voldy-something from taking over the world. Until then they were supposed to blend in and assess the situation. 

'Easy enough, its just a strange society we know nothing about, based on magic we don't have, facing a threat we don't know. A typical quest really, only this time in England,' Percy thought, 'And in school.' It dawned on him that they would have to take classes with the wizard kids and he glared daggers at Chiron. 

He'd prefer facing a monster head on any day but there was nothing he could do about that.

When Percy looked up, it was starting to get dark outside, they must have spent three hours at the very least just listening to Chirons explanations. He stretched and went back to focusing on Annabeth, all the small mannerisms she employed while talking, like how her lips curled winningly when she understood something. Much more interesting than the actual conversation and she would tell him what he had missed later anyways. 

Percy had long decided that he wouldn't worry about this quest until he had any idea of what the threat actually looked like. He simply had to see for himself and until then he'd stay calm and leave the technicalities to the others. Percy figured the meeting was about to be over but of course, Annabeth had about a million and one questions so he comfortably zoned out for another half an hour. 

Just before Chiron ended the meeting, for real this time, a change in tone made him listen up again. Chiron had abandoned his teacher voice for a rather urgent sounding one, "There is a small group of resistance fighters who Albus Dumbledore genuinely trusts. They are known as the Order of the phoenix and they will be the ones you are answering to during your time in England, understood?" 

Everyone nodded solemnly, besides Leo who was building what looked like a miniature flamethrower and was even more zoned out than Percy. Percy smirked as Frank hit Leo on the back of his head who instantly said, "I'm listening, totally, definitely, listening!"

Chiron continued unfazed, "I don't know how much Albus will have told them, but I do think it is fair to assume that you can trust them with your true identities at the very least. You will be living at the Orders' main quarters and prepare for school as well as you can for the rest of the summer, your plane leaves tomorrow afternoon. I suggest you start packing," 

Chiron began to turn away, "One more thing," he said after a pause, "the wizarding society is a sheltered place, not used to disturbances from the outside. Their last war ended about 14 years ago so it is still a touchy subject. However, for them, age has a different meaning than for us. We treat our children like adults so they will become adults and give them the respect they have earned by their deeds. The wizards have different customs, closer to those of mortals and might in fact try to shelter you out of habit, be warned."

Piper grumbled behind him, "yeah gods forbid someone tried to shelter us. Can you imagine the horror?" Hazel giggled and Leo mock dramatically suggested that he could never recover from that.

Chiron said nothing but Percy could have sworn there was the hint of a smile on his face when he said, "that will have been it for today, I suggest you start packing and rest up for tomorrow. Everything else will be prepared by then." Just like that he send them off with a few more final warnings.

He didn't have to tell Percy twice that the meeting was over. He jumped to his feet in an instant, pulling Annabeth with him who yelped and tried to get away saying she still had questions for Chiron. 

Percy stopped her, "nuh-uh, question time is over. Besides, you'll have to tell me what I need to pack since I got no clue whatsoever," he grinned winningly.  
She rolled her eyes, "do you ever listen?" she asked sternly. "Oh, you know I don't," he told her.

She laughed in exasperation and took his hand as they stepped outside in the warm evening air. Percy loved hearing her laugh. As his friends piled out into the open one after the other, his chest felt warm and he knew they'd be fine no matter what strangeness lay ahead, as long as they had each other.  
The others were chattering animatedly, Percy wondered if they were feeling as giddy as he was as they made their way back to the cabins.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, Percy

The next morning he found himself at the stables just as the sun began to rise. It was normal for him to be awake before most of the camp, one of the remainders of his time on the Argo II, not to mention Tartarus. 

He tried to remember the last time he had gotten a full night's sleep. The first week after the big battle against Gaea Percy had crashed and did pretty much nothing but sleep. But now that he had mostly recovered and there was no pressing crisis to deal with, the nightmares had caught up with him.

Not that it was anything special for a Demigod to have nightmares, it was expected. Still, he almost wished whatever awaited them in England was at least exciting enough that he could go from fighting to crashing at night. What a life. Maybe someday the only way to avoid the nightmares wouldn't be to cause new ones, he pondered sullenly.

This early in the morning the entirety of camp was basked in a soft golden glow. Peaceful and quiet, almost like a different place all together without the fighting kids from the Ares cabin, or Apollo and Hermes kids running around, competing against each other.

'Home'. He thought the only way to describe it was 'home'. Leaving Camp would sting like it did every time, but that made coming back all the more precious.

The previous night Percy had paid a quick Iris call to his mother, explaining what he could without scaring her. For his taste, she got way too excited about the idea that he would be going to a British boarding school. She kept gushing excitedly and for a second he felt guilty that he so rarely brought her news she was happy about other than 'I'm still alive'. 

After the conversation ended and she gave him her blessing to go, while also telling him about a hundred times to be careful, Percy began packing. 

Annabeth came over to help him, she hadn't bothered to inform her mortal family where she was going. Their relationship continued to be strained, and Annabeth as wise as she was, could be rather stubborn. 

Between tossing shirts at him, she informed Percy that if her parents didn't bother to call her than she certainly wouldn't call them. Her expression was so sinister that he decided to file the information away for later and leave her be for the moment.

_______________________________________

Frank

Hazel put another book on the stack he was holding, any none Demigod would have buckled by now. How she intended to pack all of them, or why she would want that was beyond his understanding. 

A majority of the last night she and Frank had spent at the Hecate Cabins Library, much to the dismay of the actual children of Hecate. They had gotten used to Hazel by now since she paid frequent visits to them. Hecate being her patron and all. 

Frank, however, they studied with a cold vigilance they must have collectively inherited from their mother. All of those dark eyes fixed on his back made him feel like he was being watched by spiders. As if he would try to steal their secrets, it was ridiculous, there was nothing in those books he would understand much less want to steal. 

Hazel for her part remained oblivious to the glaring match taking place behind her back, she picked out the most ancient-looking books and insisted they could sleep on the plane later. Nevertheless Frank hoped she was done, the books were getting heavy and the dusty smell of the library wasn't helping with how tired he was.

Frank sighed, but Hazel looked so adorable with her hair tied back and that gleam in her eyes she got when she found an interesting new challenge that he simply couldn't complain. And she did have a point, it couldn't hurt to read up on what they were facing.

Once she was finally done, a look outside told them that they had 3 hours till breakfast at most. A short nap would have to do.

________________________________________

Leo

After a third fruitless attempt at convincing Chiron into letting him take Festus along, Leo wandered off to bunker 9.

The warm forest air followed him inside and he instantly felt at home, like he was both engulfed in his mother's memory and the good parts of his past while also being entirely in his own space.

The giant hall was still just as impressive as it had been when he first found it, but now it was a lot more lively.  
Several of his siblings were working on different projects. Metallic whirring and clinking echoed through, amplified by the high walls. 

Leo paid it no mind, he was sulking over his argument with Chiron. Not letting him take his dragon was so not fair. Neither was that he couldn't tell Calypso where he was going, the idea that he might not be there when she returned from her quest didn't sit well with him. 

To be honest, the entire idea of Calypso questing on her own didn't sit well with him, but he had to push that thought down. It had been her choice, there was no stopping her and he wouldn't stand in her way. That didn't change that being left behind ached.

Nonetheless, he knew she would be back, Leo was sure of it, they'd be together again and he would annoy the living Hades out of her and it would be awesome. Just like he was sure he would find a way to defy Chiron about the minor issue of Festus' whereabouts for the next year. 

With that thought lodged in his head more tightly than the ego in Heras's personality, he began to work. Okay, maybe that was a little exaggeration, nothing could keep up with Heras ego but you get the idea. Leo had a plan, and he'd be damned if he couldn't do that.  
________________________________________

Piper

Shortly after they left the big house, Jason had pressed a quick kiss to her lips and told her to meet him at the Zeus Cabin in half an hour. Then he dashed off, leaving a startled Piper behind. 

She hated it when he vanished like that but the kiss somewhat made up for it. Pushing her wind tousled hair out of her eyes, she decided to go back to her own Cabin before meeting up with Jason again.

Cleaning up and putting on some fresh clothes felt good after sitting around in her training gear for half a day. Even if it was just an old pair of jeans and a blue T-shirt that matched the feather she wore in her hair. 

Feeling more like herself made it easier to stand the headache-inducing stench of the dozens of different perfumes that always hung in the air in her Cabin. Like one thick gross curtain of glitter and superficiality, how the others didn't notice she had no clue. 

She glanced over at a few of her 'sisters' who all looked like different types of barbie dolls and shuddered. 'Gods help me find a quick and painless end if I ever start turning into one of them,' she thought spitefully, and like so often envied her friends for their much more decent cabin mates. 

Then her glance fell on Lacy with her braces and pigtails who was reading and pointedly ignoring the other girls. The spitefulness in her subsided, 'not all of them are bad' she reminded herself. Shaking her head clear lf the negativity that seemed to follow her as of lately, she pulled out her suitcase from under her bed.

The Aphrodite Cabin was one of the things at Camp she still hadn't gotten used to. Its entire white and pastel wishy-washy stile were as unlike Piper as anything could be. Ironically that was exactly why it reminded her of home, the overly modern style her Dad favored for their house wasn't like her either. 

She smiled fondly and decided to write to him once they got to England. Writing to him after she was already there wasn't exactly fair but that way he couldn't tell her not to go. How she would explain being in England or needing to stay there, Piper had no idea. 

Shoving the thought aside as something to worry about later on the plane, she instead made a mental checklist of everything she needed to pack. Then she brushed her hair until it fell softly over her shoulders and put on a little bit of makeup. Who knew when she and Jason would have time for a date again, it couldn't hurt to put in a little effort just in case things went crazy again. 

She took the time to briefly explaine to Michael and Lacey that she'd be leaving again the next day, she owed them that much. Over breakfast the next day she'd instate Michael as head counselor till she was back, no reason to give Drew a chance to seize power again. Her friends hugged her and wished her luck on her mystery quest.

When she checked the time again it was almost time to leave and a sincere smile spread across here face, she felt like a normal girl for once and normalcy was something Piper had learned to cherish.

The Zeus cabin looked threatening in the moonlight, tall and imposing las if it judged everyone who walked by. Feeling the odd need to stand straighter, Piper strode forward. She was allowed to be here, she reminded herself.  
Well, besides the fact that it was after curfew at least. She shrugged the thought off, who cared about curfew on the night before a quest anyways.

Jason welcomed her in, looking handsome as ever. There was a softness to his electric blue eyes that surprised Piper everytime she looked at him. After all he had seen he still had so much kindness in him, more than the world deserved from him if you asked Piper.

'Stop it, no bitterness tonight', she scolded herself. She offered him her most charming smile, and he hugged her gently. "Hi," she said and leaned further into his strong arms, feeling that maybe they had already found peace and she simply worried too much. Jason always had that effect on her, he could make her feel like everything would be fine even if they stood on burning ground and the sky was collapsing above them.

"Hey," he murmured in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. She could feel him chuckle and wondered if he was thinking something similar, about how rare moments like this were for them.  
Finally, they let go of each other and Jason took her hand in his. His skin was rough from the many years of hard training but his grip on her hand was gentle, "Come upstairs with me?" He asked. As if she could ever tell him 'no'.

They had most of their dates up on the roof of the Zeus Cabin, it was the only space around Camp that felt like it really belonged to them and it did have something extra romantic, like a constant reminder of their first date.  
"Its getting cold, we should take some blankets with us," Piper said in lieu of an answer. Jason grinned at her, "It's all set up already, trust me" and he pulled her along. 

Piper cheered mentally, not only was her boyfriend extremely handsome and smart, but he was also thoughtful and romantic. How lucky could one girl be? Should he ever decide to dump her she knew she'd never ever get over it. He was just the cutest. 

Piper allowed herself to be dragged along. As they stepped out onto the roof, she looked at the stars in amazement, Jason's hand still in hers. He had laid out blankets and pillows as well as a pack of cookies and some canned sodas.

Peaceful warmth spread through her and she flopped down onto the blankets next to Jason and leaned against his shoulder. Instantly he put his arm around here, "I know its not a nice restaurant or anything, " he said shyly. Piper promptly leaned over and kissed him. No way she'd let him think he wasn't doing enough. "This is perfect, and I love you." "Love you too Pipes."  
This was happiness, she thought.

Until late into the night they talked about what they imagined England to be like, as if they were planning a vacation. They didn't mention the quest or the lives at stake. Just for that night, they were a regular couple about to go on vacation together, wondering what this strange place they'd discover together would be like.

________________________________________

Annabeth

In order to prepare for their departure later that day, Chiron had allowed them to have breakfast together outside the dining Pavillion. 

Which was how Annabeth found herself on the way up Half-blood hill to where Thalia's pine tree used to stand with a picnic blanket under one arm and a basket full of sandwiches in the other. 

Percy followed her closely, they had spent the last hour or so wandering around camp since neither of them slept a lot lately. It had felt a little like they were silently saying goodbye to the place, which in a way they had but with Percy's lighthearted jokes and demeanor it was hard to feel melancholic. It was probably better that way. 

He helped her spread out the giant blanket and put down the plates cups he had been carrying. 

The Athena pantheon was staring down at them in all its godly scariness but Annabeth didn't mind. Reminding herself who her mother was tended to help her come up with plans and keep a level head on days like today before heading onto the next quest.

Just as they sat down they saw Jason and Piper trudging up the hill, carrying several cans with coffee and lemonade.  
Annabeth jumped back up and sped towards them with new motivation for the day bubbling up in her.

"Well, hello there," Jason said pleasantly surprised at the enthusiastic greeting, "I'm glad to see you too?"  
Piper also looked a little taken aback, she wasn't exactly used to Annabeth being a warm and cuddly person. 

Annabeth ignored them and didn't stop until she was right in front of them, "uh yeah good morning," she said absentmindedly and made a grab for the can of coffee Piper was holding, "I'll take that, thank you." And just like that she turned on her heel and was back on her way. 

Piper's eyes sparkled with amusement at her odd friend, "Disappointing, but I can respect her motives," she stated. Percy and Jason chuckled. Annabeth who was now holding a cup of steaming hot coffee looked up in confusion which just made the other laugh even more. 

Just then Leo appeared a little further down the hill, hurrying towards them. "Aw come on, I'm not even that late this time and yet I'm missing all the fun," he complained. Leo was wearing his usual fireproof mechanic outfit, including suspenders, goggles and grease stains and Annabeth briefly questioned if he had been in the forges all night. 

She dismissed the thought, he wouldn't be that stupid. Then she had another sip of coffee and reconsidered. If he had a new project, then yes, Leo could most likely have been that stupid. She gave him an interrogative glare and he pointedly looked away. Clever. If she looked at Percy like that he would start spilling all his secrets. 

They all had different ways of coping. If Leos' were the forges than she shouldn't be too hard on him about it, she decided and let it go. Leo plopped down on the blanket and started devouring one of the sandwiches. Annabeth was still contently sipping her coffee, feeling as its warmth spread through her and heightened her alertness. 

It was a beautiful morning, the breakfast smelled delicious and a soft summer breeze was cooling and tickling them. Percy had his arm around her, as she watched the line where the Horizon met the strawberry fields and first early campers trickling by. 

Eventually, Hazel and Frank appeared. Making their way up the hill, Frank holding another basket and Hazel pressing several books close to her chest. They both looked like they hadn't slept and Annabeth was about to raise an eyebrow at them when she noticed that Jason and Piper looked the same, so did Leo, and she and Percy hadn't slept much either. She sighed and decided against saying anything yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, and thanks for reading!  
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> Please excuse any spelling mistakes I may have made, English isn't my first language and its 3 am
> 
> In the next chapter, which will hopefully be up by Sunday, the seven will finally arrive in England and meet a part of the order!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, at Grimmauld Place

The old man in his magenta robes was a much more imposing figure than he should have been. Maybe it was the air of intellect and experience around him, or maybe it was just that he was wearing magenta robes like there was nothing questionable about that. Whatever it was, people tended to listen when he spoke.

Only a few rays of sunshine made it through the old kitchen windows of Grimmauld place number 12, despite it being a sunny day the curtains had been shut. You could never be careful enough in times like this.  
Around the crooked wooden table in the middle of the room sat 12 people, iluminated by candles floating in each corner of the room. 

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat on one side with their sons Fred, George and Ron and Hermione on the far end. The other side was occupied by Professors McGonagall, Snape and Lupin. The latter appeared to be holding his distance. 

Behind them, engaged in a vivid discussion were the Aurors Tonks and Moody as well as Sirius Black.   
Mad-Eye Moody's wooden leg tapped against the ancient floor tiles in an unsteady rhythm as his magical eye darted around the room.

Professor Dumbledore stepped closer, taking his place at the head of the table. He didn't move like an old man, which was strange considering he looked ancient. 

"My dear friends," he began, which at least half the room seemed to disagree with. Fred and George exchanged a short look, Ron and Hermione grimaced ever so slightly only that Hermione had the decency to hide it quickly. No professor should ever address his students as 'friends'. That didn't bother Dumbledore.

"I bring what I believe to be good news in these dark times," he continued unfazed. "An old friend of mine who lives far outside the wizarding community has finally gotten word of the alarming situation our world is in now that he who shall not be named has undoubtedly returned." 

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "tell that to the ministry, they are still denying everything," he complained and leaned back in his chair like a young vagabond. He looked nothing like a man who spent twelve years in prison. The others silently agreed with him, Dumbledore's statement hung heavily in the air. 

They were at war. Or would soon be. It seemed somewhat hard to believe that their grande solution would come from a conversation Dumbledore had with an old friend of his. Still, the others minus the Weasley brothers, glared at Black for interrupting the headmaster. Dumbledore calmly gestured for everyone to hold their questions.

"This friend of mine, Chiron, has offered us his help in the war we are facing. After considering it for a long time, and believe me I have not made this decision lightly, I have chosen to accept his offer." Now he had everyones attention, what help could that possibly be? 

"We need to prepare as well as we can, which might prove difficult with so many against us. It would be unwise to wait with organizing our forces when we need to be using every advantage we have. Else, I fear we will soon be fighting for the very ground we stand on."  
Uneasy shifting throughout the room and Mrs.Weasleys quiet murmuring that the children shouldn't be hearing this were all that could be heard. 

Dumbledore mustered them warningly over the rim of his glasses. He took a deep breath, just for a second his age caught up to him and he looked exhausted. 

"I have recently learned some new information that I cannot yet share with you, I am aware that I am once more testing your trust. But after a long discussion with Chiron, he and I have agreed that he will send some of his people to aid us throughout this year."

"He assured me that they were more than suited for the job. Even though Voldemort is not yet effecting Chiron or his people, we fear that might change soon. For them, he may be more distant of a threat but a threat nonetheless." 

"They will stay here at Grimmauld Place, while we test of how much assistance they can be. The seven who have been elected will arrive here tomorrow by sundown via muggle transportation." 

"Arthur, Molly, I will have a muggle automaton for driving delivered to you with the address on a note. If you'd be so kind as to pick up our guests at that address?" 

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded quickly, if a little surprised at being addressed personally. Dumbledores eyes twinkled, "you should probably take your sons and Mrs. Granger as well, I do believe that would be quite beneficial." He nodded as if that settled everything. Fred and George grinned excitedly, Hermione just looked startled and Ron frowned thinking about what the adults were saying.

Tonks piped up, "but who are they professor?" She inquired, her hair was purple today and she looked ready to jump up at a moments notice.   
"You will meet them soon enough my dear, I personally have only heard of their deeds and think we should allow our new allies to introduce themselves," Dumbledore said calmly. 

"It may be said that they have slightly different customs than we do but their intentions are true and I expect you all to welcome them with open arms. After all, they did not have to help at all. They have my trust, take it as a token upon meeting them, even if they might not be what you expect," he added with a mild frown. 

Hesitantly he added, "Lastly let it be said that their arrival being related to the order needs to stay as secret as possible. Their first job will be to blend in, and I expect you to assist them." Which naturally left everyone even more uncertain and unsettled than before but no one dared to ask again. 

Save for Hermione. Her left hand twitched as if she wanted to raise it like she did in class, before she thought better of it and simply asked, "Professor, you spoke of different customs and said they will be arriving via muggle transportation, that has me wondering where they are from?" She asked shyly but in the otherwise silent room, her voice carried. Instantly ten heads turned to face her.

"As always Mrs.Granger you know when to pay attention," the headmaster smiled at her, "Our new friends come from a well-hidden spot in the US. So well hidden in fact, that I could not tell you the address if I wanted to. However from what I have heard they have seen their fair share of the world and conveniently have dealt with prophecies before aswell. How helpful any of that will be, I do not know." He stood up swiftly as if he had suddenly regained his energy, "Chiron and I have a few theories..." he trailed off, seemingly in thought. "Well, lets just see how this pans out. I need to be going, you know what to do."

Several people looked at him like they had absolutely no clue what to do, but before anyone could voice another question, Dumbledore apparated with and audible 'crack'. Twelve people found themselves staring at the empty spot where he had stood with about a hundred questions each.

Only Fred and George seemed to find the number of confused adults incredibly amusing. They sat back and after approximately three seconds of stunned silence, the discussions began.

Ron was the first to say something, starting with the simplest question of the mountain they had to work through, "Who even is Chiron?" He asked with pure bewilderment on his face, numerous expressions in the room matched his own with varying degrees of perplexity. Then everyone started talking over each other and it turned into chaos as everyone attempted to voice their thoughts.

Snape was fuming and muttered about it being typical of the old man to leave them with so little. Hermione pulled Ron in a far corner and they were quietly conspiring about the fact that Dumbledore wanted them to meet the newcomers as soon as possible. Lupin and McGonagall appeared baffled, McGonagall because she hadn't been informed of any of this beforehand and Lupin because, well, seven people none of them knew would move in tomorrow. 

It was a good thing that they all, if begrudgingly, trusted Dumbledore's judgment. Moody was already considering possible ways to interrogate the newcomers while occasionally arguing with Tonks and Sirius about how likely it was that they'd soon start working on counter missions. 

Like on a whim the atmosphere had changed from melancholic and sinister to an excited kind of nervousness. The shadows danced around them as the discussion raged on, Grimmauld Place had most likely not experienced so much liveliness in an awfully long time, if ever. 

It was good to know they'd finally be making a move instead of waiting for the dark side to make theirs. They all had enough of waiting so the prospect of soon having a job to do and preparations to meet was lifting all of their spirits instantly. 

Despite Snape's sneering and the other adult's worried glances, it was evident that there where once more hope and the will to fight in their hearts.  
Little did they know the chaos they'd meet the next morning in the shape of seven Demigods with ADHD, several prophecies in their past, and scarcely any respect for authorities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Please please please let me know in the comments if you liked the chapter!   
> And thank you for reading.
> 
> I know this chapter didn't include the meeting I promised but I felt like I needed to work up to that further. To make up fot it I'll try to post the next chapter tomorrow! Sorry!


	4. Chapter 4

Percy

England was almost exactly like he had imagined it, that being rainy, somewhat busy and mostly grey. But what really stood out to him was how small everything seemed compared to America. From streets and houses to sidewalks and shopping centers, everything was tiny. Curiously none of the people pushing past each other on the sidewalk noticed or cared about the lack of space.

Stretching lazily, Percy attempted to look over the crowds of people pouring out of the small airport, hoping for some kind of sign. "Annabeth?" He asked carefully. The 8-hour flight had been a true test for their relationship and he feared he was about one stupid question away from getting publicly executed. 

Not his fault that he got panicky in those damn flying death traps. Stupidly panicking caused him to ask stupid questions. No matter how many times the others assured him that they'd be fine simply cause Jason was on board. 

'Zeus wouldn't blast his own son out of the sky', they told him. 'I've seen crazier things happen,' Percy argued. Either way, his nerves were still fried. Even Hazel was doing better than him, he noted with embarrassment.

Anyways, Annabeth was so thoroughly annoyed he was sure heads would roll at the next stupid question, no matter whose it was. 7 ADHD demigods in such a confined space just didn't bode well. 

Now they were outside the small Heathrow Airport, waiting to be picked up by this Order. Only that he had no clue who exactly they were looking for. The only one potentially knowing that was Annabeth, who was sulking because Leo singed the edges of the book she had brought on the plane with her when he got nervous.

Percy cleared his throat, "who exactly are we looking for again?"   
'She might make my death a little less painful than she would that of one of the others' he supposed.

To his relief, she just rolled her eyes at him, "quit being so dramatic, I won't kill you. It's not your fault that you can't stand planes," then she fixated Leo, "you, however, put as much as a finger on one of my books again and I'll test if being fireproof does you any good when dropped from a skyscraper," with every word she poked Leo in the chest who was slowly backing away. His eyes were huge and for once he wasn't playing with any of his tools. 

Frank, Hazel, and Piper were snickering quietly a few steps away while Jason shot Leo an empathetic glance. Percy decided to stay out of it for once since his attempt to put out the fire, with water, hadn't earned him any points with his girlfriend either. The book, smoking and drenched in water, would probably never be legible again. And Annabeth would never forget, he shuddered.

________________________________________

Hermione

After spending half the day arguing and conspiring they were more than glad to finally be at the airport. Still, the final minutes before meeting their mysterious guests seemed to stretch on worse than the entire morning, most of which had been spent arguing over whether Ginny should be allowed to go with them or not. 

When Ginny, with the help of Hermione, had finally won the argument that had also effectively ended most conversation in the already tense house for the rest of the morning. 

Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione stood just outside the airport at the agreed meeting point.  
Hermione was the first to spot them, "look over there," she nudged Ron and nodded in the direction of seven mischievous looking Teenagers who were bickering with each other. 

Three tall and imposing looking guys stood at the very back of the group, the tallest was blonde and he had one hand on a cart with several suitcases hoisted on top. Talking to the calm looking blonde was a slightly shorter guy with black hair and a wicked grin.

Something about them didn't sit right with Hermione, she just couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. 

With them was a third guy who looked like he was of Chinese descent, he was almost as tall as the blond but even more muscled. 

In front of them, three bored-looking girls were conversing, a lean blonde with a high ponytail, a young-looking shorter girl with curly cinnamon hair and a third one with choppy dark hair and ridiculously good posture. 

The blonde girl was holding the seventh member of their group, a small Latino guy, by the shoulder in a way that was just a little bit too forceful to be an unconscious friendly touch.

"What?" Ron asked   
"I think it's them" she insisted urgently.  
The other Weasleys looked over, Mr.Weasley blinked confused until he focused on the group Hermione had referred to. "That doesn't seem right, Dumbledore didn't say anything about their ages but Teenagers? To help in the war?" He frowned with concentration. 

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her patronizingly, "now don't get me wrong my dear you have all done good in the war but our goal is to get you out, not to let even more Teenagers join.

"That's your goal," said Ginny, "Dumbledores goal is to win the war. Also, they are walking towards us."  
She was right, the group was advancing with the blonde girl in the lead. 

All of them looked tired and somewhat restless but that was to be expected after an 8-hour flight. The closer they came the more details Hermione could discern. First, she saw that they all appeared to be wearing either orange or purple T-shirts which was odd. Then she noticed that they all looked old for teenagers, like they had seen too much in their lifes already. 

Upon closer inspection, her throat went dry. Not because they were all covered in scars of different sizes, or because they seemed to have a formation almost like a rank in which the group moved, but because the blond and the black-haired guy were still standing side by side and reminding her of two people who would never stand side by side again. 

The two had caught up with the blonde girl. 'Black hair and green eyes,' Hermione thought, Dreadful combination should the guy ever meet you know who. But what was worse was that the taller guys resemblance.

"Oh no," she breathed softly. Ron next to her had gone pale, "he looks like Cedric," he cursed with such disbelief in his voice it would otherwise have been funny. Fate could be too cruel. 

The two guys approaching them looked like Harry and Cedric, had Cedric lived. They appeared so at ease with each other, just joking and chatting, it hurt to see. Even Fred and George had gone quiet. 

Mrs.Weasley was the first to regain her composure, "be nice," she commanded in a shrill voice, which luckily woke the others out of their daze just in time.  
The group of seven had stopped bickering amongst each other, the false Cedric and Harry now stood to either side of the blonde girl and Hermione was relieved to see that close up they weren't that much alike after all. 

False Harry's eyes didn't have the right shade of green and his hair wasn't as unruly and curly as that of her Harry. He was slightly taller and slimmer but not as pale and the bone structure of his face was different two. She breathed through, now much calmer. 

As for the Cedric look alike, he was even fitter than the real Cedric had been but his hair was lighter and his eyes were electric blue, not chocolaty brown. He also had a pair of glasses tucked in his jacket's pocket and she instantly hoped he didn't just need them for reading. Anything to distinguish him would be good. 

Then she frowned, didn't they have scars a few seconds ago? If so there was nothing to see of them now. There was definitely something off here, they just didn't look like wizards.  
Finally the group reached them. 

Mr.Weasley stood up straighter and took a few confident steps in their direction with a kind and welcoming smile plastered on his face as the rest of the family watched warily. The blonde girl extended her hand, "Mr.Weasley?" She asked in a steady voice. He nodded and shook her hand. 

"My name is Annabeth Chase, it is nice to meet you. I don't know how much Professor Dumbledore will have told you but I do believe introductions are in order." She smiled nervously.

________________________________________

Leo

How Annabeth had known who they were looking for, he had no clue and at this point, he was too afraid to ask.

Rubbing his shoulder where Annabeth had forcefully reminded him not to mess with her books, he let himself be pushed along. It was a good thing that Demigods never had bruises for long, he thought and mustered the family of redheads they were facing. 

They had to be a family. Parents, twin boys another son and a daughter all with startlingly red hair plus a girl with frizzy brown curls whos thoughtful frown reminded him of Annabeth. 

The children seemed to be about their ages and Leo wondered if one of them was Harry, the guy they were meant to protect. Meant to aid, he corrected, According to Chiron they should help him but the others expected the quest to go differently. It wouldn't surprise Leo either if they did end up doing all the work themselves.

Annabeth introduced herself and shook hands with the kind-looking man in tattered clothes who had to be the family father. 'Must be nice to have a father around', he speculated but pushed the thought down quickly.  
Leo hadn't caught the man's name who was now introducing his family. 

"Welcome in England, I assume none of you have ever been here?" he said with a strong British accent that Leo figured they better got used to. They all nodded. "Never," Percy agreed.

"Well, it's nice to have you here, I'm sure you'll feel at home before you know it," there was a hint of worry behind the man's smile that confused Leo. Yeah, adults were usually worried about them but the guy had literally just met them. Weird.

"Please meet my wife Molly. Our sons Fred, George," he pointed at the twins one after the other who in turn pointed at each other when he said the names to let them know their Dad was confusing them. Leo grinned, those two looked like they knew what fun was.  
"and Ron," he pointed at the youngest who smiled at them uncertainly. 

Ron kept glancing at Jason like he had seen a ghost, Leo didn't blame him. Jason could look scary if you didn't know him. 'So no Harry in this Group, Leo thought.

"Our daughter Ginny, and of course Hermione a close family friend," he concluded, "you'll meet the rest of the Order tomorrow evening, it's just us at the headquarters right now so you have some time to get adjusted." 

It already sounded like an awful lot of people to Leo but he didn't mind, his Dad's Cabin back at Camp was always crammed too.

The twins jokingly used the brown-haired girl's head as an armrest. "Yes, Hermione is such a good family friend, isn't she Ron?" The younger brother turned beet red. 'Ah so that's what's up,' Leo grinned even wider. 

The other twin glanced down at Hermione, who was sternly protesting being the object of their jokes, and still resting his arm on her he said, "yes you can really .... Rely on her." Leo snorted so did Percy and Piper. Hazel, Frank, and Jason chuckled a little.   
Leo couldn't wait to get to know those two. Only Annabeth remained cold, even though the corner of her lips curled the slightest bit. 

The twins were getting berated by their mother, and Hermione tried to smoothen her hair back down now that they'd let her go.

Percy stepped forward, "Mr. Weasley, it's nice to meet you, and thank you and your family for picking us up," he smiled politely and Leo had the creeping suspicion that Annabeth had told him word for word what to say.   
At least he had finally picked up the name, Weasley, that was it. He hoped he wouldn't forget, that would be embarrassing.

"I'm Percy, that's Jason, Frank, Piper, Hazel, and Leo, and, well, you've met Annabeth," Added Percy. Jason also stepped forward to shake the man's hand, the others nodded respectfully. 

Frank was nervous enough to half hide behind the rest of the group, which was rather ineffective considering he was a mountain of muscle. Hazel waved shyly at them, Piper offered a charming smile that instantly got the attention of all three brothers. Leo felt bad for them.

Mrs. Weasley spoke up, "we should get going dears, Hermione tried to explain muggle travel to us and you must be exhausted after being on your way for, what was it, eight hours?"   
Annabeth nodded gratefully.   
So the group moved towards the parking lot and before Leo could wonder what the hell 'muggle travel' was supposed to be, he was met with a bigger question. 

The family car, that unmistakably blinked when Mr.Weasley pointed his keys at it, was a black SUV with six seats at most. It would be full with just the Weasleys in it, tight fit with Hermione. 'Please don't let them be that stupid', Leo thought, well aware that that was rather crude.

The others were looking at each other questioningly, like 'get what these weirdos want? And 'they have got to be kidding' Leo felt it.  
"After you," one of the twins opened the door and gestured forward. 

Apparently, Jason wasn't about to question their hosts, with a mild frown he climbed in the car. 'Famous last actions,' Leo considered, facing the black car, 'here goes nothing.' They heard a muffled gasp from Jason, Leo furrowed his brows, now intrigued. He shouldered past the others and got in after Jason. 

Holy Hades. Hecate. Hera. And all other gods with H he couldn't think of right now. He locked eyes with Jason who's surprise was a mere mirror of his own. "It's bigger on the inside," Leo half yelled, a sentence he as a life long Doctor Who fan had always wanted to say. His day was saved, no matter how many more times Annabeth would threaten him. 

"No way," said Percy and was the next to stick his head through the door. The others climbed in one after the other.  
By the time they were all seated, Leo's awe was far from having vanished. If anything the gears in his head were turning even quicker, trying to figure out how that was possible. 

Mr. Weasley got in the driver's seat, "yes, yes, a nice bit of magic. Courtesy by Professor Dumbledore," like that was entirely normal. Leo hoped he wasn't gaping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave a comment, any kind of criticism or other input is very highly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, Ginny

Yeah, it felt good to have been right about the group and yet she couldn't help but wonder. It was odd to include more Teenagers, her mother had a point there, even if Ginny didn't like to admit it. What did those kids' parents think? To let them go to a different country to the aid of total strangers? What made Dumbledore think this group could help? 

At the very least it meant she had new leverage against being excluded from Order business if they were now actively recruiting Teenagers.

When she had first seen the group there was something about them that made her halt. Hermione had seen it too. Then Ginny had gotten distracted by Ron's comment, about how much the guy resembled Cedric. She genuinly hoped that it had just been their nerves that made them think that. 

If Harry saw Cedric everytime he looked at the guy the next year was bound to be even more painful for him than it had to be. As if returning to school after what happened last year wasn't already painful enough.

There was something her parents had failed to see. It was a common thing for adults, to see kids as one group and forget that they didn't know everything, that not all kids were the same. That some kids had seen stuff worse than they had. 

They had certainly never understood what Ginny went through in her first year. They were constantly underestimating her, and now they were underestimating these seven as well.

This lot was certainly not usual if they got Dumbledore's attention without ever having met him. They were different and it was written all over them, in the way they held themselves, the way they knew who would speak for them all and were okay with it, and how they looked at each other before answering a question. Whatever they had seen it was far beyond ordinary, that much was clear. And Ginny made it her mission to find out what it was.

The first half of the drive back to the old Black house was relatively quiet. Her parents tried to keep some kind of Smalltalk going but the replies they got from their guests were frustratingly vague. The weirdest one, however, was probably the only one that wasn't vague. 

Her Mom asked what part of America they were from exactly, and the seven looked like they weren't able to decide how to answer that. 

"Long Island, New York," said Annabeth confidently, at the same time as Jason said, "California," Leo said, "Texas," Piper said "Los Angeles," with a grimace as if she didn't enjoy admitting that. Hazel said, "New Orleans, well technically Alaska...I mean California," she corrected, Percy said, "Manhatten" and Frank had probably the weirdest answer, "Canada," he blurted out and appeared entirely lost in thought. He realized his mistake when the others stared at him. 

Thus everyone began correcting themselves at the same time, talking over each other in a hustle of voices. She thought she heard Annabeth say something about Virginia like she was correcting herself. Only that simultaneously the others started agreeing with each other. 

In the end, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Leo settled on Long Island while Jason, Hazel, and Frank decided on California. They seemed a little embarrassed and avoided eye contact, no one dared to ask what that had been about and an uneasy stillness filled the car.

At least she thought no one would ask, but the silence stretched on and her Dad, oblivious to anything socially awkward, inquired, "so you know each other from school? Partner schools, one in California and one in New York I reckon? You have to tell me about your schools, it's so fascinating to hear about a place other than Hogwarts for once." 

Ginny would have liked to facepalm. Clearly, he meant well and was making an effort to show interest and get to know them but like so often he hadn't picked up on the mood around him. To make matters worse he declared, "and you have to tell me about the machine you used to travel here! Did one of you operate it?"

Ginny suppressed her giggle and she saw Hermione covering her mouth with one hand. Her Dad was unimprovable, she thought fondly. 

Their guests were stunned, only Leo took the turn in conversation in stride. With his wicked trademark grin on his face, he shrugged, "no, but I could have" as if that was seriously something he had considered. The pretty girl next to him shook her head like that was the last thing she would want.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at the guy, "you can fly a plane?" She asked curtly and with obvious disbelief in her voice. Hermione was the only one from their side who knew what kind of machinery they were talking about, and if she was skeptical that didn't bode well for the guys honesty.

"Sure can," Leo said with a confident grin. "Mighty words for someone who was surprised by a space being bigger on the inside," Hermione muttered.  
"I'm naturally good with all kinds of machinery. A plane wouldn't be my first choice transportation wise, but I could absolutely figure it out," he explained cooly. 

Hermione looked like she wanted to berate the guy, "flying a plane takes years of practice and schooling before you're ever allowed to fly on your own. There is no way you could figure that out on the go," she grimaced like it was hurting her personally how factually inaccurate the guy was being. 

Annabeth chimed up, "that's what I thought too, but I've seen him build stuff more complicated than a plane. If he gets the machinery he can operate it,-" pretty girl interrupted her, "he's just insane like that," she said with a smirk. 

Jason looked right at Ginny who was sitting across from him. It was as if his electric eyes were looking right through her. "Honestly, don't test Leo. He'll just take it as a challenge and that won't end well for any of us," he confided and it took Ginny a second to comprehend his words, that's how taken off guard she was by the intensity of his stare.

"It's like you guys don't trust me," Leo complained, "Jason? Piper? Do any of you recall the eight months or so you lived on a flying warship that I built and flew myself for the most part?" He sounded exasperated and now it looked like it was his friends wanted to facepalm. It also looked like they were used to Leo awakening that feeling in them. 

Something told Ginny that Leo hadn't been supposed to mention the warship and that little comment was definite proof that there was more to them than they let on. A wry grin spread over her face.

Also, Leo's response had shut Hermione up, Ron was glancing at her worriedly, it didn't happen any day that someone who wasn't a teacher could get Hermione to shut up.

"A warship!" Dad said excitedly, "how on earth did you do that?" Their guests looked baffled and amused, but Leo instantly launched off into explanations. Ginny was positive her Dad didn't understand, but he listened like he was gaining valuable information anyways. Leo looked like he had waited all his life for someone to ask that question. So joyful in fact, that his friends looked the tiniest bit guilty. 

Mom looked at them in uncertain amusement and decided to let her husband be. At least Leo was opening up a little, the others seemed so intensely guarded still. 

Percy chuckled, "that was a mistake," he stage whispered, "it's like asking Annabeth what book she last read, don't do it unless you have a lot of time. And are prepared for her to keep picking up the conversation for the next three days."  
Annabeth boxed him in the shoulder and blushed a little. 

Ron groaned when he saw the interested expression on Hermione's face, he desperately attempted to start a different conversation quickly, "So have any of you ever played Quid-" but it was no use, Hermione was faster. "You like to read?" She turned to face Annabeth with sudden delight on her face. 

Fred, George, Ron, Piper, and Jason all glared daggers at Percy who sheepishly sunk in his seat as Annabeth and Hermione began comparing literature taste. Ginny herself was just happy that her friend found someone she could talk to who was on the same level as her, bookworm wise. 

The big guy in the back of the car spoke up and it must have been the first time she really heard him speak. He sounded surprisingly shy, "You guys looked a little spooked when you first met us, I gather you really didn't know who to expect at all?" He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. 

Ginny frowned, telling the guy his friend looked like a dead classmate of theirs seemed a tad insensible. Ron was about to burst out with the truth when Mom interrupted him, "oh, I'm sorry how terribly rude of us. It's just that Dumbledore forget to mention how young all of you were. And, well, on a more personal note, one of our sons is named Percy too," her smile looked strained, "we are not on speaking terms with him right now, just a family quarrel, I'm sure it will pass. We were just surprised to hear that name, that is all." 

Ginny and her brothers gaped at their Mom, she never mentioned Percy unless she absolutely had to. This was a first. The seven looked at her doubtingly, Percy mumbled an apology. 

"No, dear please don't apologize, we should apologize," she sounded sincerely sorry. The memory of her brother who turned on his family not so long ago always left a bitter taste in her mouth as well. Still better than talking about Cedric. Ron looked like he wanted to add something but Hermione kicked him and he closed his mouth. 

Mom continued unfazed, "I was going to ask anyway, is Percy short for something?" She added conversationally. Ginny wasn't sure if her attempt to make the situation lighter worked. There was a long beat of silence.

Finally he answered, "Perseus, like the guy from the greek myths," he told her. His friends glanced at him with a shining in their eyes that made Ginny feel like a joke had gone over her head. 

Annabeth opened her mouth, "Anarotiémai an eínai óra na xechásoume ton Perséa kai ton Iásona apó ta paliá chrónia kai na archísoume na anaferómaste se esás dýo os protótypa," she uttered absentmindedly.

("I wonder if it's time to forget about the Perseus and Jason from the old times and start referring to you two as the originals,") 

Hazel and Frank giggled. "What?" asked Hermione. Annabeth waved her off and went back to their conversation about some long-dead French author Ginny had never heard of.

Leo went back to his conversation with Dad. Fred and George had joined in on their discussion, evidently trying to detect in what way Leos' talent for building stuff could help them with their products. They had really taken the production to a next level.

Regardless, Mom wasn't done with them, "Perseus, how did your parents come up with that name? Why don't you kids tell us a little about your families anyways?" She invited sweetly like it wasn't pure interrogation.

All seven of them flinched away from her question, a visible wall might as well have gone up between them. Their faces turned sinister and sullen, like stormclouds passing over their heads. 

Ginny had the harsh impression that she did not want to know what was up with their families, her skin tingled with a cold shudder when she glanced at them. Or maybe it was even more of a reason to find out, she considered.

Percy tried his best to distract, "My Mom thought it would be a good name because the original Perseus was one of the few Greek Heroes who got a happy ending, it's supposed to be for good luck," he explained, aiming for a nonchalant tone. Jason snorted, "and what luck has it brought you?" Percy smiled sheepishly, "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Hazel quickly took over, "that you're alive is no thanks to any of the prophecies we got. Which brings me to ask, what is the prophecy you guys are dealing with? We should hear it as soon as possible so we can get to work." Clever maneuver, Ginny thought. But her Mom didn't fall for it.

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait to discuss these matters till the Order is complete tomorrow evening. There are a lot of people waiting to get to know you, I'm sure it would be helpful if we could deflect some of the questions so you don't get overwhelmed, you know?" She edged them on goodnaturedly. 

They exchanged a few short glances, Jason spoke up, "I'm sorry Mrs.Weasley, you're being too kind but our families are a difficult topic. Maybe we could save that for later?" He consulted carefully. It was a strategic game and confronting her head-on had won him that round. 

Mom looked like she wanted to continue pressing, but Ron said, "that reminds me of Harry," he gave his Mom a pointed glare, not specifying what reminded him of his best friend and she backed off. 

Ginny could have hugged him. His socially skillful moments were rare but after all this time he had picked up on what Harry hated the most when strangers talked to him. Namely, when they mentioned his parents. Ron applied that idea to their new allies and decided to leave them alone. People could say about her brother's lack of sensibility what they wanted but he tried, in his way. 

Hermione must have been thinking something similar because she offered Ron an infectious smile. "Harry will join us at the headquarters sometime next week. When precisely is to be decided at the meeting tomorrow night," she informed the seven. "He doesn't know about any of this yet," she warned. 

That got Percy to grip Annabeth's hand tightly, abruptly growing irritated. "What do you mean he doesn't know yet?" Hermione glanced away uncertainly, "Dumbledores orders," she explained, "Harry doesn't know about the Order itself either, and we weren't allowed to contact him all summer," she concluded hastily.

Percy almost jumped out of his seat. Mom intervened in her shrillest voice, "now that's plenty, they'll meet Harry soon enough." Ginny and Ron protested, so did Jason and Annabeth. Percy kept his mouth tightly shut. The seven looked genuinely shocked. 

"We are here to help you. We need to know what's going on," Annabeth said slowly. "So does the guy who's at the center of whatever this is. Don't you get how much danger he is in if you don't keep him informed?" She burst out, now sounding personally offended. 

Dad had only now stopped talking to Leo, hearing the change in tone. He tried to soothe the situation, "just understand that it is a little hard for us to see why Dumbledore sent you. We were making an effort to keep Harry, and our own kids who have a tendency to adventure with him, save. For there to be more kids involved now, that doesn't come off as right, you know?" 

Annabeth had lost her patience, "We haven't even met Dumbledore but clearly he doesn't mind putting us 'children' at risk, so why don't you trust your leader? We know what we're doing whether you like it or not." Annabeth took a deep breath, "Keeping information away from your own people is the kind of stuff that gets you killed when things get bad," she aimed for a calm tone.

Mom huffed with indignation, "I don't know who you are, that may be true, but you don't know what you're messing with here. There is nothing you kids could have done that would give you the right-" Jason interrupted her, "give 'us' the right?" He glowered and leaned forward, "This has to be a joke," he looked at Percy who was just as flabbergasted as him, "Chiron told them nothing did he?" Frank cleared his throat, "um, guys?"

Ginny was starting to grow worried, there was a mad glint in Jason's eyes that she didn't like at all. "All of that trouble just to hear these words," Percy grumbled bitterly.  
"Guys?" Frank tried again but more insistently.  
Jason wasn't about to stop now, he flicked a golden coin between his fingers absentmindedly.

"You want to know who I am?" He asked dangerously. Ginny was on the edge of her seat, very much wanting to know who he was. But before he could finish, Frank interrupted again, "Guys," he bellowed loudly over all of the arguing, "look outside, they'll know who we are soon enough," he sounded like he was carefully swallowing his panic. 

Ginny turned to see so quickly she felt her neck crack. There was nothing. She looked at her parents and brothers but they too only looked confused and mildly disturbed. The seven, however, wore expressions that ranged from severely anxious in Hazel's case to mildly annoyed in Percy's. The others being somewhere in between. 

"Great," Annabeth cursed in a language Ginny didn't understand and assessed the situation. Whatever situation that was, Ginny still saw nothing.  
Annabeth was clearly in control, the others weren't saying a word waiting for her decision. 

"Hazel," she commended, "our new friends here can't see what we see, is that correct?" Hazel nodded swiftly. "Can you change that?" Annabeth implored. Hazel swallowed, all eyes on her, "I think so," she nodded again and turned away from Annabeth, she closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose in concentration, breathing deeply. Then they heard a loud thumping outside like a giant footstep and Ginny was really starting to hope the seven were insane.

Then Hazel opened her bright golden eyes, (weren't they brown before?) and reached out. She touched Ginny's shoulder and a shock went through her that felt like pure magic. When she looked up everything seemed more colorful than before, like a thin veil she hadn't even noticed was there had been lifted.

Hazel went on to expand her magic to the others as Ginny looked outside once more. This time she saw. This time her heart stopped beating for a second. She heard her Dad exclaim, "what by merlin?" Her Mom gasped, her brothers wore identical expressions of sheer horror.

About ten meters in front of their car stood a three-headed monster, the size of four fully grown Norwegian ridgebacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are highly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, Ginny

The monster had poison green and blue scales, dragon heads, a snake body with crooked claws and crippled wings. In short, it was completely and utterly terrifying. 

As if that wasn't enough it was trying to catch oncoming muggle vehicles with its gruesome yellow teeth. How on earth her new friends remained so calm she didn't know.

In a steady and deciding voice, Annabeth said, "Mr.Weasley, please stop the car. We have a Hydra to kill or these mortals will die. No time for protest. This is what we do, this is who we are. Let us do our job."

Dad had gone dramatically pale and there was sweat trickling down his forehead, he hesitated. "Now," said Piper, her voice sounded different. Ginny had the strange urge to surge forward and stop the car herself, it made her skin crawl. Her Dad slammed the brakes. 

"Thank you," said Percy and jumped out of the car before it was even fully parked. The others rushed after him, "you stay in here!" Shouted Jason over his shoulder. She and her brothers crowded behind the window, too shocked to move. 

Percy charged, with nothing in his hand but a pen. Jason tossed a coin above his head while running. The coin twirled and midair it turned into a golden short sword, he caught it with ease and lunged for one of the creatures many necks. 

At the same time, Percy uncapped his pen. It too sprang into the shape of a sword, glowing faintly bronze and longer than Jasons. Percy attacked the creature's side in order to climb its' back.

Ginny tried to see the others. Leo, Frank, and Annabeth were out of sight. Piper and Hazel stood off to the side, waves of magic were pouring off of them. 

Piper appeared to be screaming something though she was muted through the car doors and battle noises. She held a dagger, while Hazel had somehow produced a javelin. They kept up whatever they were doing while also setting to attack the creature's feet. 

Some of the heads snapped after them but they dodged and rolled with practice. Percy, who was now sitting on one of the hydra's heads, and Jason were trying to keep the heads busy enough for the girls to do their part.

"We have to do something," exclaimed Hermione. Mom cried out, "None of you dare leave this car!" 

George looked around, attempting to come up with a plan, "quick, roll down the window. We can shot curses from here," he proposed.

Leo and Annabeth appeared in her line of view again. Frank was still nowhere to be seen but a giant eagle was carrying the other two. It dropped them right next to Percy on the other two heads.   
As he fell, Leo caught fire. Ginny let out a short scream. The eagel dived and turned into a Lion seconds before it touched the ground. 

"They're gonna die," declared Ron and aimed his wand. So did the others. They were blasting the monster with all kinds of curses in quick succession. Mom and Dad did the same through the front window, but it was a tricky job. 

Many hexes fell flat because the distance was too big, others had the necessary reach but weren't powerful enough. Only every fourth or fifth spell they attempted actually did some damage and they also had to avoid hitting one of the seven.

The fight kept getting weirder with rising intensity as the monster grew more desperate. Now it was attempting to crush everyone on the ground with its whole body. 

Ginny was beginning to wonder what the muggles were seeing. None of them seemed bothered by the house-sized monster threatening to kill them. They glared in annoyance and drove past the whole scene like it was nothing but a construction site. Some of Hazel's magic was snaking towards the muggles, maybe that had something to do with their false sense of safety.

One of the Hydras' heads plucked Leo of its back and tossed him away. He flew in a wide arch towards the road and was an inch away from being flattened by an oncoming truck. The truck honked in disapproval and raced on, Leo stopped burning momentarily and yelled after the truck. Only to catch fire again and charge back into battle. 

"How is he still alive?" Asked Fred, his eyes were following the running torch that was Leo. Ginny had no idea, other than the vague impression that firing dousing spells at him to kill the flames wouldn't be the right thing to do.  
Hermione landed a strong blast at one of the beast's heads and it took half a step backwards. Percy gained momentum.

Ron was frowning in concentration, "this isn't working, we have to do something!" He complained. "Let's try hitting the same spots," Ginny urged.  
Hermione nodded, between blasting two hexes, "Fred, George; left head. Ron, Ginny, we go for the middle head. Mr. and Mrs.Weasley?-"  
"Yes, yes, right head. Good plan," said Dad, still shooting curses.

In some of the spots they hit, the scales turned black and smoke erupted from its wounds. The monster quivered and was struggling to find out where the blasts were coming from.

Ginny glanced over just in time to see Annabeth with something small and white in her hand, some kind of knife. She slid down one of the monster's long necks and slit it open entirely. Her blonde hair gleamed in the afternoon sun but the purple ooze covering her distracted from her fierce beauty. 

The creature roared and snapped for Annabeth. Ginny aimed a few curses to help and shuddered wishing she hadn't seen what Annabeth had done.

Percy sprang onto the head that was attacking Annabeth and slammed down his sword, cutting its head off clean. He realized his mistake and jumped down just in time. Now standing back to back with Annabeth as the Hydra grew two new heads where it had lost one. 

Annabeth jabbed the eyes out of one of its heads. When it reached for her again, the Lion jumped onto the second head out of nowhere. Percy ducked through the maze of heads and boldly attempted to reach the monster's heart but it was no good. 

In the distance,e sirens were wailing.  
Annabeth yelled something at Jason, he nodded in understanding and raised his arms. A second later he was in the air and Ginny's jaw dropped. He was flying, without a broom. Just like that. Unable to form any other coherent thought she dug her nails into the car seat, 'Who the hell were they?' She wondered once more.

Jason hovered over the hydra and frowned in concentration as he brought down his golden sword onto the beasts head, then lightning struck. No, it didn't strike, it erupted from the tip of his sword, she recognized with horror. 

The left head dove to the far right to avoid the lightning strike.   
Simultaneously Leo ran past him, once more on fire and the right head on his tail surging to the far left after Leo.

The lion turned into an eagle again and led one of the middle heads to follow it as it dove through the narrow gap between the crossed over necks. Perfect knot. 

Jason and Annabeth were keeping the tied-up heads busy so they wouldn't untangle themselves.  
"Course change!" Decided George, "distract instead of maim!" Agreed Fred. They followed his advice and shot firework spells and other color- and noiseful hexes around the heads.

Piper stood below the middle heads with her hands raised and pure determination on her face. The heads looked oddly sleepy. 

With the way cleared, Percy took his chance and went straight for the heart. The creature wailed and purple ooze rained down on them all. It knocked the lion of its feet with its tail. 

Percy twisted his sword and jammed it into the Hydra a second time just as Jason threw his own sword with perfect aim. Jasons sword was sparking with electricity, both weapons hit the mark, creating one gross, big wound with purple goo streaming out of it.

The creature exploded into a tornado of black dust just as it was getting ready to bite Leo's head off. A gust of wind carried most of the soot away, and the seven looked around them in wonder and silence. For just a moment it was utterly silent. Graveyard silent.

The seven stopped and looked at the carnage they had caused, breathing heavily. The air was still charged with electricity.

Then Percy and Jason high fived, they were hardly even out of breath. Hazel and Leo were sitting on the concrete, looking exhausted.

Ginny was about to reach for the door handle to go check on them and get some damn answers, when her Dad hit the car's horn with such force Ginny almost fell over. The sound echoed through the silence like a child's scream. 

She quickly sat up and craned her neck to look outside. A dark shadow loomed over Hazel. The dark silhouette belonged to a different kind of monster, a combination of snake and woman, smaller but equally deadly with murky grey eyes. 

The lion, alarmed by the car honk, raced over the battlefield. It leaped over Hazel and ripped the monster to shreds mid-air. It couldn't even reach for Hazel with its ugly claws before it was nothing but monster dust like the Hydra had become. 

Leo who had been knocked over by the Lion, and where the Lion should have landed knelt Frank. He was breathing heavily and had a cut on his shoulder but he got up easily, no quiver to his stance and offered Hazel his hand. 

Hazel fanned herself some air and let him pull her up. She brushed the monster dust off her purple Tshirt. The others joined them, Jason was doting on Piper, Annabeth was berating Percy over something. Leo glared at Frank. None of them looked overly shaken, other than the wizards in the car.

If anything they looked like a group of friends after an especially tiring round of football, only the purple slime they were covered in betrayed the illusion.

Ron reached for the door handle first. They staggered out onto the pavement, muggle cars were still rushing by unbothered. 

The first thing Ginny caught was the smell of burned fish and the odd taste of air after a storm. Lightning had marked the ground in numerous places and the kids had dropped their weapons where they stood. Despite their exhaustion, there was a soft glow over each and every one of them that consisted of pure power. They had fought with such skill, there was something inhuman about it.

Now that Ginny saw what they saw thanks to Hazel, she could tell that the seven were covered in scars. Still, they had made it through this battle with hardly more than a few scratches, which just aided to prove her suspicion that these scars were old. Even Leo seemed to be perfectly healthy, other than a tiny flame that was still dancing in his hair at least. 

That was the first time that Ginny believed it, these seven had the power to tip the scale on the war. With their help, they would win. 'If they could train Harry, if they had other allies they could bring along,' her thoughts trailed off. It didn't even look like Percy and Jason had fully used their powers.

The only unpleasantry to ruin this triumphant moment was the nagging voice in her head that told her she hadn't exactly been helpful.

Jason was heading towards them, "nice work," he shouted with a big grin on his face as if he was trying to dismantle her thoughts on purpose. The others jogged after him. Hermione surged forward, wand still raised, "are you okay?" She asked evidently panicked. It was nice to see that she could show emotion and the seven smiled at her reassuringly. 

It was good that Hermione finally showed some emotion, it was apparently all it took for the seven to warm up to her. To Ginny however it was clear that there was no more need to panic, the heroes had killed the beast, like in every child's story. 

"That was epic," she burst out and Percy grinned proudly. The twins were already bombarding Leo with a million questions about his fire magic and Ron had followed Hermione to check on everyone personally. Mom and Dad stayed in the car, attempting to regain their composure.

Hazel and Frank came toward her, they were holding hands. "I saw what you did with your magic," said Hazel, "that was admirable. Thank you. Just so you know, it takes an awful lot of power to cause any kind of damage to a Hydra with magic. Especially when you don't know what spells to use." 

Frank nodded, "I don't know much about the magic stuff," Ginny's eyebrows rose up. That was for some reason the first time the thought crossed her mind that these kids might not be wizards. "But going against something when you don't know what it is is incredibly brave. Or had you ever seen a Hydra before?" Ginny shook her head. 

Annabeth joined them, "that's what I thought, and staying in cover in the car was clever. Don't charge something you don't know if there are others who do know what they are dealing with, isn't that right Percy?" She smirked. 

Hermione stood next to her, "how did you do all of that?" She breathed.  
Just then Dad yelled out of the window, "Is everyone alright?" The twins gave him thumbs up.   
"We should get going before more of these show up," warned Piper and started collecting their weapons from the ground, Ron helped her. 

Hermione cast a quick cleaning charm on them that removed the worst of the slime. They all got back into the car quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please leave a comment!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, Annabeth

"We're almost there," said Ginny and pointed at two houses at the end of the street. They didn't look like anything special, maybe a little older than the surrounding houses. 

The entire square was grey and unwelcoming, it was raining again. What a fantastic summer this was bound to be, she thought sullenly and missed the sunny fields of Camp. 

The car came to an abrupt stop, right in front of the line between the two houses, light flickered through some of the windows. It didn't look like the headquarters of an ominous organization. 

Then again, the Weasleys didn't look like they should be part of such an organization either. They were just a normal family.   
Hermione had that something about her, that will to fight that reminded her of all her fellow campers, but about the others, she wasn't sure. 

Then it was time for her to be amazed. Annabeth had seen a lot of weird things throughout her life, including nice cyclops, titans, gods, Tartarus, Clarisse and Percy having a civil conversation, and many others. Regardless, there was no way not to marvel at what happened next. 

The two houses started moving apart. The entire street shook and yet the mortals she saw through some of the windows remained oblivious. 

Inch by inch a third building came into view. This one was much more imposing, ancient and dark it towered over them. These walls had stories to tell, she had rarely seen a building with that amount of character. Judging by the stone structure, it had been built in the late 18th century. 

Back then it surely was a mansion of pure wealth and it confirmed her suspicion that the wizards had history. There was magic in these walls, or else they wouldn't be that well preserved. 

"Welcome to Grimmauld Place number twelve, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," announced Hermione and she offered Annabeth a knowing grin, maybe some kinds of magic never stopped being impressive.

"The architecture is incredible," she breathed. Percy glanced at her fondly, "Annabeth, I don't think right now is the time?" She shook her head, "mission, right." 

They followed Ron who was already halfway to the door like it was the most normal thing in his life that buildings parted. He opened the front door and gestured for them to hurry along. 

The hallway was narrow, the floorboards creaked and it smelled of dust. They walked through an equally antiquated sitting room with plushy curtains and couches. Hermione made an odd comment about not waking one specific portrait. Quietly they went past some stairs that lead up, through the next door, and into the kitchen area. 

Annabeth caught herself admiring the architecture once more. The kitchen wasn't in it's best shape, the black and white tiles were partially cracked and in the center stood a long wooden table with 13 mismatched chairs. 

The light was dim and it could have been creepy, instead, it came across as lived in. Maybe a little repurposed, she frowned, it was awfully dark to belong to people who referred to themselves as the 'light side'. 

One after the other they filed into the kitchen, "Sit down, all of you," commended Mr. Weasley sternly. Mentally she sighed, she hated it when adults thought of her as a troublemaker. Yet, nobody moved further, nobody sat. The built-up tension from the drive had achieved its maximum level.

A man was leaning against the kitchen counter, he had scars on his face and sandy hair. Despite the scars, he didn't strike her as a threatening presence. His clothes weren't the newest, everything about him appeared worn out. Nonetheless, there was an intelligent sparkle in his eyes. 

She decided he wasn't a threat and paid him no further mind. One problem after the next. First, they needed to convince the Weasleys that they weren't delinquents on the run. Or whatever other wrong conclusions they had come to by now.

"Hello Professor Lupin," said Hermione. The man raised his cup of tea in her direction in greeting and smiled. "So these are our mysterious new allies. It's nice to meet you. I hope your flight was alright," he spoke deliberately and slowly, as he mustered them all thoroughly, "I must admit you are younger than I expected." the statement hung heavily in the air.

"Did something...out of the norm occur?" He asked, glancing at Franks still bleeding shoulder. Before anyone could answer, Mrs.Weasley stormed in. "You," she gestured at the seven, "have an awful lot of explaining to do." 

None of them looked particularly impressed, sheepish maybe and embarrassed at the botched first meeting. Hazel took an uncertain step forward, "We are really sorry that you had to see that. Chiron had assured us that there were hardly any monsters in England. It's just our luck that two of the last ones around still found us."

"Monsters," inquired Lupin with alarm.  
"Hydra," said the twins.  
"So many heads," moaned Ron.  
Jason took one look at the guy's pale complexion and pushed him down onto a chair.

"Within these magical borders that won't happen, they are similar to the borders at our ... Home," Hazel assured.

Piper polished her dagger on her jeans, "But anywhere outside, the seven of us are at constant risk to be attacked by one of those or far nastier ones." 

Percy clarified, "They are where our experience comes from. They are the reason we fight so well. Kids like us don't survive if they don't fight well," he added conversationally.

"It has something to do with our heritage, the monsters can smell us at a ten-mile radius, the more of us are out together the more likely we are to run into them. The woods in America are full to the brim with these beasts. So are some cities," said Annabeth. 

"But none of that concerns you, because these monsters can't see or smell you, just us. You will be save," Frank assured.  
Leo put in, "and you have to admit we obviously know what we are doing," with his trademark grin in place.

"Lets just all sit down, this will be a longer conversation," said Frank.  
"We tried to warn you that there is more to us. You wouldn't believe it," Percy added.

"More to you?" Mrs.Weasley was pale, "you are just kids, that was dumb luck and we will not let you do something like that again." At that, the seven actually smiled, if a little sadly. Yeah her worry was out of line but there was something motherly about it that they found endearing. They couldn't be mad at her.

Percy sighed. "I can assure you, it was not luck. No one slays a Hydra with nothing but luck, he tilted his head thoughtfully,  
"but I bet Clarisse could do it with anger."

Piper grimaced, "I can't believe that we killed that beast in front of you and you still think we aren't capable of helping you," she gestured with Katoptris for emphasis. 

"Get used to it," said Ron sullenly, "they will still insist it was luck if you do it five more times." All heads turned to him, and he ducked away. No one had expected him to speak.

Something in Annabeth's head clicked. just like the Weasleys underestimated her and her friends, she had underestimated Ron. And so had his own family, apparently. So there was more to him. She shared a short glance with Jason who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Not with us, this ends right here. Let's start over," announced Jason. He pulled by a chair an sat down, sitting up straight, daring them to speak with his expression. Slowly everyone followed his example.

Jason glanced at Lupin, "he can be trusted?"   
"Absolutely," insisted Hermione.   
"Sorry, I had to make sure." She merely nodded. Lupin observed the exchange with curiosity but he didn't seem offended.

Jason glowered at the people around the table. Half-bloods on one side, wizards on the other. He radiated power and authority beyond what any ordinary person could muster. He was no longer trying to make a good first impression.

"I'm Preator of the twelfth legion," he began with the kind of conviction that suited a Preator. "I slew the Trojan sea monster, I toppled the black throne of Kronos and killed the Titan Krios with my own hands before I turned sixteen," he leaned forward and even Annabeth held her breath. It was easy to forget how powerful he was when you saw him every day.

"I'm the Champion of Juno, I'm one of the seven who defeated the earth goddess Gaea," he continued with his chin raised. "My name is Jason Grace   
and I am the son of Jupiter; Lord of the sky, King of the gods." As he ended, electricity crackled around his fingertips, and there was a wicked glow in his eyes. 

Then in a quieter tone, he resumed,  
"I am a roman half-blood, a hero of Olympus. I have survived more quests and prophecies than most of the Heroes you hear about in the ancient myths. I've fought in two wars and lost more than you could possibly imagine," he swallowed heavily like he was about to lose his composure. 

Then the pride returned to his eyes, another silent dare, "Now you see me, this is all there is to me. All that I could possibly still lose are the six other heroes around this table, and maybe three more people outside this house," he said earnestly. 

"We went to war together once before. No one else could truly begin to understand who I am, what the things I told you implicate, but now you know." He scoffed, "That Hydra you saw? That was nothing. Make your choice. Do you want our help or not?"

Stunned silence followed and Annabeth had to suppress a smirk.

Mr.Weasley shook his head like in trance, "Dumbledore knows all of this, doesn't he?" His voice sounded heavy and dry, he rubbed his eyes, "we had an entirely wrong picture of you, didn't we?" his shoulders slumped, "I don't like this but it is Dumbledores order that we trust you," he contemplated and sat back in his chair. 

"Until we hear otherwise from Dumbledore, you have our full trust, but we want some explanations," he decided. Jason nodded in acceptance.

The tension shrunk and Percy glanced at Jason with the kind of grin that told Annabeth he was about to say something stupid.

"You forgot one," he informed Jason cooly.  
Jason frowned, "One what?"  
"Title. Pontifex Maximus."  
The seven broke out into startled laughter.  
Jason promptly started complaining, which lead them to laugh even more. 

Despite doing all the work of a Pontifex Maximus, he refused to take the title and they had teased him about it relentlessly ever since the war ended. The tension was gone.

Ron gulped, "do you all have that amount of titles?" They laughed good-naturedly. "Almost," said Percy. 

"Would you be so kind as to explain to us what exactly these titles mean?" Said Lupin cautiously, "Jason, right? You seem like a strong young man and please don't get me wrong but I have personally never heard of any of the things you mentioned." 

Hermione added, "you said you went to war before. Shouldn't we have noticed if there was a war going on?"

"How much do you see in day to day life about the mortal war in Syria?" Annabeth countered. Hermione sighed bitterly, hearing of another war evidently depressed her but she accepted Annabeth word for it. 

"You call them mortals," noted Lupin, "we call them muggles." Ginny shifted in her seat, "and none of you have wands," she waved her own wand for demonstration, "I saw Hazel and Piper do magic, but it was different." 

Hermione frowned at Jason, "the way you called yourself a roman half-blood specifically, you didn't mean that you're a wizard with a muggle parent did you?" Jason shook his head with a small smile, they were beginning to understand. 

Ron looked annoyed, "Calling them mortals is a little harsh, don't you think? It's not like we are immortals?" Hermione smiled at him like every show of sensibility from his side deserved an award. 

"We may be mortal," said Percy with a dramatic pause, "but our parents are not."  
Percy and Leo grinned like it was Christmas as they watched the effect of that simple sentence. Annabeth smacked them both on the back of the head, "you are enjoying this way too much," she concluded.

"We're not the ones who are confused just for once. Can't you let us have this moment?" Complained Leo.

"Good thing we don't have the orientation film here," snorted Percy, "Annabeth might attempt to actually show them the film." She smacked him again.

And then, with a much more adult attitude, she informed the others, "what these two idiots mean ist that each one of us has one mortal and one godly parent, either Roman or Greek.

The twins gaped, Ron just looked confused, Ginny sat her cup of tea on the table with such force that some of it splashed on the table. Her parents looked skeptical and Lupin just nodded in recognition.

Hermione's eyes were wide, "son of Jupiter?" she asked like something had finally clicked. 

"It can be quiet the shock in the beginning," said Frank empathetically. "I could hardly believe it myself when I first found out."

Annabeth went on, "How much do you know about the greek and roman gods?" She asked Hermione directly.  
"I know the basics to the greek myths like Odysseus and Hercules," she stuttered.

"Ughhhh damn Hercules, my least favorite relative," complained Jason. "You can't take three steps without hearing about that guy," Percy groaned.

"We learn some of that stuff at Hogwarts but I always thought they are just myths?" Hermione went on.

"Hercules and Odysseus are your ancestors?" Asked Mr.Weasley.

"Yes. No. Indirectly, we partially have the same parents as them," said Percy, "the gods, liks Annabeth said."

"Son of Jupiter," Hermione repeated again.

Annabeth nodded, "You'd call him Zeus in greek, its two aspects of the same god." 

Ron shook his head in disbelief, the others began arguing, then lightning struck outside, abruptly causing a hush to fall over the room. Jason smiled nonchalantly.

Mr. Weasley swallowed heavily, everyone stared at Jason. Lupin chuckled in that 'might as well happen' kind of way that people who have seen a lot of bad stuff in their time all know.

"So greek and roman gods? Well, I know what I will be reading up on in my spare time," said Lupin. The seven chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again,  
> Please leave a comment! 
> 
> We will soon get to Hogwarts house discussions, once the wizards are up to date on the demigod stuff we can get the demigods up to date on wizard stuff. And THEN there will be chaos at Hogwarts.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, Annabeth

Mrs.Weasley looked at them, "you are a son of Zeus, the god Zeus," she pronounced the name like she was trying to convince herself. 

Jason cleared his throat, "well technically I'm a son of Jupiter, his Roman aspect. My sister Thalia is a daughter of Zeus. We are the only living children of his at the moment," he was met with a bunch of really confused expressions, "same difference," he backtracked with a gentle smile, "Yes, I am a son of Zeus, the Lord of the sky."

Ron was the first to move on. He shrugged and accepted what he couldn't change as long as it didn't bother him. Annabeth could admire that about him.

"The rest of you?" He asked, while his siblings were still staring at the lightning mark outside. That seemed to wake Hermione out of her daze, she stared at them. Then at Annabeth specifically who she had already started regarding as a friend in the short time they knew each other.

Annabeth looked right at Hermione, "I am a daughter of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategic war. My Dad is a mortal Professor."

"I live at Camp Half-blood where all children of the Gods are brought to be trained if they don't die first. Most stay over summer but some live there, like me. Right now I have 6 half-siblings who are also children of Athena." She looked at Percy, silently urging him to continue. The room was silent again.

Hermione's eyes were wide like the idea of there being an actual Goddess of wisdom appealed to hear, she stared at Annabeth awestruck.

"Right," said Percy, "I am a son of Poseidon, the Lord of the sea. I have no demigod siblings. I didn't find out about Camp Half-Blood till I was thirteen," he frowned, trying to figure out what else to add.

He cleared his throat, "The gods were pretty mad that I existed at first 'cause the big three weren't supposed to have any new mortal children. Children of the big three are considered advantages against the others," he waved it off, indicating how highly he thought of that sentiment.

"So they sent me on my first quest, together with Annabeth and our friend Grover, to prove my Dad wasn't plotting against the other Gods. I fulfilled the quest and they let me live. Since then I have been training at Camp, going on quests for the gods, normal half-blood stuff." 

Lost in thought he went on, "Also my Dad's brothers totally also broke the treaty not to have any children."

Annabeth offered him a wry smile, "you really are still mad about that, aren't you?" Percy looked offended, "I was 12 years old and had no training at that point, it's not my fault you were already a killing machine at that age."  
Annabeth giggled but didn't say any more.

The wizards looked at them as if they had grown a second head, Fred asked, "your fathers brothers are who again?

"Zeus and Hades," said Percy, "the only difference in their breaking the treaty is that they hid their mortal children."

"And being children of the gods comes with certain powers, I assume?" Inquired Lupin. 

Frank nodded, "especially children of the big three are powerful." 

Lupin examined him, "who is your-, how do you call it?" He was hesitant to finish the question. 

"My godly parent?" Completed Frank. He sighed, "I'd like to say it's my Mom she sure was a lot more godly than him." He said 'him' like it was a curse, "my father is Mars, the Roman god of war and military. Patron of all those who fell in a war. The Greeks call him Ares," he admitted finally. 

"You should know that even though we are all proud of our godly parents, it can be difficult with them. They are not human, they have different priorities, and most of us have only met our parents a handful of times," he glanced up sullenly.

"All we really have from them are our powers," he finished.

Mrs.Weasley looked like she wanted to hug Frank but she remained put, Hazel put a hand on his shoulder. 

"What about the rest of you?" Mrs.Weasly urged carefully, no longer nearly as stern as before.

Leo spoke up, "personally I think I had the most luck parent wise," he grinned as the others protested, "my Dad is Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and forges." Leo waited for awed expressions and impressed questions but they never came.

Ginny raised one eyebrow, "and that is cool because...?"

Leo fake gasped, "I'm fireproof, I can build and repair just about any machine," he counted down with mock offense, "and I can do this!" His hand caught fire, flames danced over his skin.  


"Cool," said the twins. Leo was satisfied and extinguished his hand by shaking it once. The adults looked at him with concern, which he ignored.

"Me next," said Piper, "I'd like to get the stupid comments over with," she huffed. "My Mom is Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love, the Romans call her Venus. And I have inherited her charmspeak, it means that for a short amount of time I can convince people to do just about anything. But don't worry, once the effect wears off they know what happened so I can't use it to really trick anyone."

"Wicked," said the twins, this time with a lot more conviction. Leo pouted. 

Percy raised his hand, "I once conjured up an entire hurricane, I can breathe underwater and talk to horses if anyone cares." Annabeth pulled down his hand.

All eyes turned to Hazel, who was the last one to say anything. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and grabbed Franks hand. 

"Please don't judge me," she said quietly, "my father is actually a good guy you know? There is a lot of prejudice against him but he is just doing his job like all the other gods. And compared to the others he really tries to look out for my brother and me," she babbled hastily and was about to continue when Hermione stopped her. 

"Nobody here will judge you," she promised, "we can't be prejudiced because we don't really know anything about the gods, right?" The others agreed with her.

Hazel took a deep breath and her golden eyes looked right through them all, "my father is Pluto, the Roman God of earth and riches. For the Greeks, he is Hades, one of the big three. The lord of the dead, king of the underworld." She glanced up expectantly. Nobody flinched away, and Annabeth at once liked them all a lot more. 

Hazel swallowed heavily but her voice was no longer shaking, "I have some control over earth and metals. My brother Nico is a lot more powerful in regard to our fathers' powers. He can teleport through shadows, sense death, and even control skeletons. Probably because Nico inherited our fathers' Greek powers while I inherited the roman ones."

George grimaced, "It sounds like your brother is a real hit at parties."  
"Yeah," agreed Fred, "he must be an absolute joy to be around."

Before either of them knew what was happening, Jason and Percy stood up facing the twins, their swords loosely pointed at their throats. "Nico is our friend," said Jason. 

"There are very few children of the big three around and we look out for each other," said Percy.

"Nico proved more than once that we can trust him with our lifes," added Piper. 

Jason lowered his sword, "don't joke on his behalf. I care about the guy and I take it extremely personally when someone insults him," warned Jason. Percy also lowered his sword.

The twins nodded, "noted," said Fred. 

Leo frowned, "you have to admit that they are not wrong. Nico is called the Ghost King for a reason, the guy still gives me the creeps," he argued.

Hazel glared at him, "he is my brother and I would literally be dead if it hadn't been for him." 

Leo raised his hands in defense, "I know, I know. He is a friend. But he does have these all over death vibes."

Annabeth shook her head and turned to face the wizards as her friends muttered among themselves, "you might actually meet him at one point, if we call for reinforcement he will be among the first who show up." 

After a pause, she added, "Nico is a good and trusted friend, that is true. But he does prefer to avoid the living most of the time so don't worry about him showing up too soon." 

Conversationally she concluded, "One thing about him I can tell you for certain is that I wouldn't want him against me. I'd be nice if I were you." The threat in her voice was almost hidden behind the smile she wore. Almost. 

"The guy fights like, well, like death," added Frank.

Hermione eyed Jason warily, "I'm guessing Hazels brother is one of the three others?" The out of context question drew everyone's attention. "You said there are three people, other than these six, who you really care about," she clarified.

Jason nodded with mild surprise, "we have been through a lot together, and trust is important. Nico doesn't trust many people, that I am one of them matters to me," he explained. 

"Other than him there are my sister Thalia who is my only living family, and my friend and fellow preator Reyna who I worked with for a long time." Jason appeared to lose his train of thought and stared off into the distance.

"Anyways," said Hazel, clearing her throat. "My real talent are the powers I got from Hecate, the Goddess of Magic and decisions. She blessed me a while ago and I suspect my magic isn't too different from yours. Most of it focuses around altering reality."

Lupin regarded Jason with kind pity, in a way that Annabeth instantly knew the next questions were about to be intensely irritating. She braced herself.

"Your sister is your only living relative? Shouldn't she be here with you then?" He asked Jason hesitantly, quietly as you spoke about big tragedies.

Jason offered him a sad smile, the others drew their wards up knowing what questions they would be hit with next. Most of them looked away. Sighing Annabeth though that they couldn't really blame the wizards, they wanted to know who they were dealing with and the Demigods had invaded their home, planning to stay for an unknown amount of time.

"I hardly know Thalia. I know I can trust her but I haven't seen her a lot. The goddess Juno took me when I was two years old, Thalia assumed our mother had killed me. Not totally wrong, our mother literally gave me to a pack of wolves on Juno's instruction but that's a different story. I barely remember it anyway."

"My mother is probably the only woman a god fell for twice, but it also means he abandoned her twice. It drove her insane, she began drinking and taking drugs, giving me up was the final straw for Thalia and she ran away, believing I was dead." He paused to let that sink in.

"I was raised at Camp Jupiter and I worked my way up in the ranks while Thalia lived on the streets for a while, she met Annabeth and another Demigod. Together they were able to survive all the monsters that attacked them and eventually they found out about Camp Half-Blood," he eyed the wizards and decided to skip the pine tree bit to save them the weirdness.  
"Actually I think Annabeth knows her better than I do?" He questioned.

Annabeth cleared her throat, "I suppose," she sighed, "Thalia and Luke found me on the streets when I was seven years old. I ran from home because too many monsters knew where I lived, they were closing in every night and I would have died had I stayed there. Luke and Thalia recognized that I was like them, they explained it all to me and took me with them, they were my family for a long time," she said wistfully. 

"A few years down the road after Percy joined us, we got the first great prophecy and its beginning line, well we didn't really know who the prophecy referred to. It said;

"a half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds,  
And see the world in endless sleep,  
The heroes soul cursed blade shall reap,  
A single choice shall end his day, Olympus to preserve or raze," she recited.

"Cheery," said Fred. "So you're alive?" Added George. 

Percy chuckled, "yeah well, I'm as surprised as you are. I think what Annabeth was getting to is that with the prophecies wording it could have been either me or Thalia. But Thalia made the choice to join the hunt of Artemis the day before she turned sixteen, which made her effectively immortal and means she will always be 15, a day before sixteen."

Jason took over again, "the hunters of Artemis are immortal maidens who serve Artemis. They are taught by her about the wild and hunting and magic. They stay among themselves if they can and they have all sworn off guys. Just like Artemis herself, which is why she doesn't have Demigod children of her own and instead selects promising maidens in dire situations. They can still die in combat and they have helped us in both wars but they don't age naturally."

Ron was rubbing his temples like the weirdness was finally catching up to him, "so she is not allowed to see you because you're a guy?" 

Jason tilted his head in contemplation, "Because she is always with her hunters, she is Artemis' lieutenant and they don't like being close to men. They tolerate fighting with us if they have to but that's about it," he clarified.

"Annabeth wanted to join them at one point," said Percy accusingly. 

She blushed, "that was before I met you, don't make me question my judgment for turning Lady Artemis down," she said accusingly.

"I am questioning your judgment," said Ginny and Hermione as one, at the same time as Percy protested, "I turned down immortality for you too, you know?"

"I know," said Annabeth with a sly smile and pressed a quick kiss to Percy's lips. Usually, they weren't very touchy in public but she just really felt like it. He may be a dork but he was her dork.

Percy grinned at her, "what were we talking about again?" The others giggled, Ginny and Hermione looked like they were strongly questioning Annabeth's sanity and the adults appeared rather undecided like they were thinking 'these are the weirdest damn kids we have ever seen,' Annabeth couldn't blame them. 

Fred and George made a show of declaring they had lost their faith in Percy. 

"How does a person even end up in a situation where they can turn down immortality?" Asked Ron.

"Zeus offered after I saved Olympus," he shrugged, "told him and the other Gods to pay their child support instead, no more Demigod kids who don't know who their parent is," he said proudly. "And Annabeth gets to rebuilt Olympus according to her vision. Reconstruction is still at work."

"Yeah, sure, why not," said Ron weakly.

"Okay so basically Jason has the weirdest family possible and you two are both adorably insane," summarized Ginny. 

"If you think that's weird, ask Annabeth-" Percy didn't get to finish that sentence. Annabeth smacked her hand in front of his mouth. "Stop pocking fun at that," she said irritably and let go. 

"What do I have to lose? Your Mom already hates me," countered Percy. 

"But I don't hate you. Yet." Said Annabeth pointedly, "and besides, my Mom doesn't hate you. Hera and Ares hate you, my Mom strongly dislikes you."

"Fair point." 

"Hera hates everyone," scoffed Leo. 

"Me, specifically," said Jason, Piper chuckled and grabbed his hand, "Jason wins, Hera definitely hates him the most." The others agreed.

Fred turned to Annabeth, "Didn't you say you had, what, 6 half-siblings?" 

"Kids, you really need to watch your language, don't your hear how rude you sound," Mrs.Weasley scolded her children.

"No, not at all," Percy reassured, "its easier to talk about all of it if we don't take it too seriously. Otherwise, it gets depressing, trust me."  
Mrs.Weasley seemed exasperated, but she didn't oblige again.

"I do have a lot of half-siblings, that's true, but its kind of normal at Camp," she shrugged, "most Cabins have even more children. The gods can be in dozens of places at once, sometimes they fall in love with numerous mortals at the same time. Hence, many children. It's only the big three who don't have many children at the moment but that might change in a few years now that the treaty is broken."

"So none of you were raised by both your parents?" Asked Mrs.Weasley and Annabeth really wished she wouldn't sound so sorry. The seven shook their heads. "And you ran away from home when you were seven?" She eyed Annabeth disapprovingly.

Annabeth wasn't about to feel bad about that decision, she raised her chin, "I would have died. Part of the reason that there are not more kids at Camp is that not everyone gets there before the monsters get them," she defied. 

"My father is a smart man or Athena wouldn't have liked him but he sometimes lacks a certain sense for urgency. He gets lost in his theories sometimes. A while after I got to Camp I reached out to him and explained everything but he agreed that it was better if I just stayed there. There I was safe. And my stepmother never liked me anyway," she added wistfully. 

"I tried visiting them a few times, we even went on a few family vacations together but it never lasted long. The final straw was when they moved to St.Francisco about a week after I told them that that's the state with the most monsters and the lowest survival chances for me. I took the hint and stopped calling. I don't think Dad realizes what he did but I'm tired of running after him," her voice was dry and distanced.

After a while, she elaborated, "I do look up to him, he is a brilliant college professor after all, or else it wouldn't hurt so much. I spent years trying to impress Athena, at least I knew I could do that with quests, she told me to wait for Percy, told me to go on quests. I know I am a true child of hers, I have proven myself. But with my Dad? He just thinks I'm difficult," she ended quietly. 

Miserable silence, Annabeth cursed herself for her loose tongue.  
"Aaand that folks, is why we don't talk seriously about our lifes. Ever," announced Leo. Annabeth offered him a grateful smile. The wizards looked disturbed and uncomfortable. Percy put one arm around her waist and pulled her close. She allowed it, his strong arms offered her comfort like nothing else, Percy just knew her.

"Okay, my turn," said Leo, "get ready for tragic backstory the second take," his confidence was as fake as her stepmom's breasts but she didn't say anything, he earned that much.

"My Mom was a brilliant mechanic, she taught me a lot. We had a pretty big family in Texas and everything was fine till I was about seven. Hera had been paying me frequent visits, testing if I'm fireproof by putting me in a fireplace to sleep when I was a baby and other fun stuff," he dismissed it with a flicker of flames around his fingers, "Hera is loco."

"She guessed that I would be part of the second big prophecy, but so did Gaea, the earth goddess who was plotting to wipe out all of humanity," a hush fell over the room.

"Anyways, Gaea thought she could corrupt me by killing my Mom. She was locked in her Garage and the place burned down. The rest of the family thought it was my fault and rejected me," he sounded bitter, despite himself. 

"I spent years on the run and in different foster homes until I ran away once too often and was brought to a boarding school for criminal teens which is where I met Jason and Piper. Your cue, guys" Leo had spat out all of that information so hastily, they could barely keep up, "Pipes?" He urged.

Piper grumbled disagreeably but finally conceded, "I didn't know who my Mom was until I got to Camp. I just knew that she broke my Dad's heart. So much so that somedays he doesn't even want to look at me. I guess after meeting Aphrodite herself no other woman compares," she lowered her head. 

"My Dad always kind of avoided me. He cares about me but I suppose it easier to care from a distance. He is the Tristan Mclean, American movie star, after all."

Hermione opened her mouth, and Piper waited for the usual awed 'you're kidding,' instead, she said, "that must be hard," apologetically, "I've heard of him."  


Piper smiled at her, "thank the gods," she muttered. "So my Dad had pretty much no time for me. I unknowingly used my gift from Aphrodite to get his attention along with a bunch of stupid stunts, " she glossed over the stealing bit and Annabeth smirked. "Which eventually caused him to send me to the same boarding school for criminal teenagers as Leo and Jason."

Aware of how bad that sounded she explained hastily, "I now know that he was influenced by evil forces to do so. The same evil forces kidnapped him and used him to blackmail me, later on."

"Your lives are messed up," said Ron, his mother glared at him.

"Thanks, wouldn't have noticed. So, Jason and Leo helped me free him but he wasn't the same. He had found out who my mother really was, that gods and titans exist and what quests lay before me and it drove him insane. He told me he was proud of me for being a hero but he couldn't stand it," she sounded far stronger about it than she really was.

Annabeth wondered if there was some charmspeak laced in Piper's voice to convince them she was fine, it wouldn't surprise her. 

"My mother took pity on him and gave me a way to remove his memories. Now he doesn't remember anything. He still thinks I'm just a difficult Teenager, he doesn't know where I am most of the time, he still has no time for me, he still thinks Mom left him for no reason. Some day I might not return from a quest, and he will never know why. But its better for him," Piper concluded.

"We won't let that happen Pipes," promised Jason, a silent conversation passed between them and Piper's melancholic multicolored eyes turned wistful.

To fill the uneasy silence Jason said, "I was only at that school because Juno took my memories of who I am and dumped me there, she gave Leo and Piper false memories convincing them they knew me. All of that just so the Greek and Roman Camp would meet. b Because naturally, I went on a quest to get my memory back."

"She did the same to me," offered Percy, "kidnapped me for 8 months, took my memory and dumped me just close enough to find Camp Jupiter where I met Hazel and Frank. I also went on a quest to get my memory back because not even Hera could fully erase my memory of Annabeth," he sounded proud of the last part. 

Warmth spread through Annabeth.  
Even though she couldn't stand thinking about the time when she was left to wonder whether Percy was dead or alive.

"Meanwhile I spent 8-month going insane with worry trying to find him," said Annabeth, "all because Hera likes to meddle."

"Why didn't she just introduce you?" Asked Hermione, it was written all over her face that now by latest she thought the gods were barbaric.

"The Greeks and Romans had lots of hostile history. Hera needed two leaders to start trusting the opposing forces without any prejudice. At least that's what she was convinced of," explained Hazel.

"That was one weird year, every turn I took somebody mentioned this strange Percy Jackson dude who went missing," joked Jason. 

Hazel gestured at Percy and Jason, "Before them, my brother Nico was the only one who knew about both Camps but he had strict instruction from our Dad not to tell anyone." 

After a beat of silence, she went on, "Which brings us to my backstory I suppose. Get ready for the ultimate level of weird, like Leo would say." She smiled shyly and sat up straighter, determined to get through this. 

"I lived in New Orleans with my mother, a voodoo queen who managed some actual magic that attracted Pluto's attention. He fell for her and promised her one wish, whatever she wanted." 

Frank watched her warily, Hazel never told anyone willingly about her curse. 

"My mother wished for something with a price so high we had to flee. We moved to Alaska, the land beyond the gods, where they had no influence over us. But Gaea had influence over us there, we didn't know that, we didn't even know who she was, but she poisoned our minds," her voice broke.

She cleared her throat, "Gaea knew of my power, she blackmailed me by controlling my mother and forced us to work for her. I was supposed to rebuild an earth titan who was her son. At the last possible second, I understood what she would do. What we were doing for her."

"She would end the world, my mother and I would die either way. She tried to influence me by giving my mother a last few moments of clarity but it backfired. My Mom made the first good decision in her entire life; she gave up," oddly enough Hazel sounded more proud than sad.

"We said goodbye to each other and I used my power to collapse Gaeas cave on top of us, the oil began to rise, my mother and I drowned. I buried Gaeas plan with us, she couldn't rise for another 70 years or so." 

That did its job to distract from what exactly Hazels Mother had wished for, thought Annabeth, no one would remember to ask about that detail.

"It just postponed the war but the next time she rose all seven of us were ready, like the prophecy foretold," finished Hazel.

"Pardon me if it's rude, but you drowned? And you're here?" Mr.Weasley blinked in confusion.

Hazel nodded, "that's where Nico comes in. Part of Gaeas plan was to raise every evil being on her side from the dead. All the titans and giants, everything that wanted to see humanity and the gods dead." 

Just talking about it seemed to be lowering the room temperature. The wizards absorbed every word from Hazel's lips.

"Her minions captured Thanatos the God of death and chained the doors of death, forcing them open. That way no one could die. Souls just got lost which is far worse than dying and at the same time, her forces reformed themselves in the pits of hell so it was essentially only evil rising from the dead."

"Like, really bad evil," added Percy helpfully.

"Nico figured out what was going on, he felt the souls escaping and decided to try his luck. He wanted to find his other sister, Bianca, who died in the first war. But mortal souls aren't like Gaea's monsters, they usually don't stick around, most try for a new life. So did Bianca." 

"But you didn't?" Asked Hermione

"I didn't. I gave up my chance in order to save my mother from ending up in hell. Nico found me because I also have that aura only children of Pluto have and he decided I deserved a second chance. If he couldn't raise Bianca he would take me instead," she swallowed down her nerves. 

"For some reason, Dad agreed that I deserved a second chance and told Nico to bring me to Camp Jupiter. Nico became the ambassador of Pluto for Camp and checked in with me every now and then while still going to Camp Half-Blood himself. I met Frank and started training. But of course I didn't tell anyone where I was from for a long time."

Annabeth carefully explained, "the fact that Nico's plan worked was against all odds. Only a child of Hades wouldn't go insane after being brought back. Only a powerful child of Hades could even find someone in the underworld, only an even more powerful child of Hades could muster the strength to bring someone to the doors of death," she said empathetically.

"The doors of death are never in the same place, and only an absolute lunatic would stand up to Hades and convince him to help bring someone back from the dead. It's virtually impossible. Or it should have been. Hazel is an absolute miracle," Annabeth said, examining her friend. 

"Or rather Nico is," Hazel corrected.  
Jason grinned, "told you the guy is brilliant," "and scary," added Percy.

"Brilliantly scary," agreed Leo, "and if you want to hear something really weird, get this; Hazel knew my Grandfather. Your turn Franky boy."

Frank scowled, "don't call me that. I'll turn into an Elephant and stomp you," he threatened but it had no venom.

Instead, he started to explain before the questions for Hazel could arise.  
"My Mom was a soldier. She was in one of the Canadian forces who were sent to Iraq. She died protecting her comrades in battle. After that my Grandmother raised me but not for long," he began.

"I faced the same trial as all Roman demigods and went with the wolf goddess Lupa, she let me pass. I trained at Camp and the only thing I was really good at was archery. My Dad took a long time to claim me and I assumed I was a child of Apollo the god of archery, but I was wrong."

"Be glad, man," said Percy, "Apollo is a douche." Frank smiled, knowing very well that Percy liked Ares much less than Apollo, but it was nice of him to try.

"Both Camps were struggling because the gods broke up all contact on Zeus' order and the oracles stopped working. So did our means of communication," Frank explained earnestly.

"When for some reason Mars showed up at Camp, he hinted at my family gift but didn't bother to explain and told me to go on a literal suicide quest with Percy and Hazel. And claimed me in person. Most embarrassing moment of my life," he grimaced.

"Your Dad cares, poor you," said Leo sarcastically. 

"Be nice," chided Piper, "my Mom has done her fair share of embarrassing me too, the only real parenty thing she ever did was forcing a horrible makeover on me," Piper shuddered.

Hermione and Ginny looked unimpressed at the idea of a makeover from the love Goddess herself being a bad thing.

With a small smile, Frank continued, "my Grandmother is dead too by now, so there is no one in Canada I could return to. I live at Camp Jupiter. And I figured out my Family gift on our quest; I can transform into any animal I can clearly envision. I just have to be careful because it gets quite taxing."

"What was the suicide quest?" Ginny asked in a small voice.

"To free the God of Death," said Percy, Frank, and Hazel simultaneously. Frank looked like he didn't want to continue talking. Too much attention, Annabeth figured.

Percy took over for him, "We didn't know about Hazel's background but there was a good chance that Thanatos, the God we were freeing, would take her as soon as we freed him. She went anyways," he said with deep respect in his voice. Hazel shrunk in her seat.

"And Frank," Percy continued still sounding like a kid describing an incredible superhero, "he literally burned his own life force to melt the chains Death was bound with. The bravest, stupidest, scariest thing I have ever seen," he swore. Hazel nodded.

Everyone stared at Frank who had turned beet red, "you went with us even though the Prophecy said you would drown," countered Frank.

Percy shrugged, "I had learned by then that Prophecies can mean many things."

"Liar." Decided Annabeth but she smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "You are the last to go," she added thoughtfully.

"Right," said Percy, "I think I told you most things already. My Mom lives in Manhatten with my stepdad Paul. She knew who my Dad really was but she didn't say anything and kept me hidden to protect me from the monsters," he leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs.  
"In retrospect, it would have been better to warn and train me but she did her best."

"I have a Cyclops half brother, his name is Tyson," he added thoughtfully.

"My Mom knows where I am and what I've done. She doesn't like it but she supports me because she knows my chances are better if I don't have her against me as well." He had the nerve to look pointedly at Mrs.Weasley. 

"You can't avoid quests like this. If the fates want you to go, you go. All you do by waiting is worsen your chances," surmised Percy, "anyone who has been at Camp as long as we have will tell you that."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, Percy

"What are these Camps you live at like?" Asked Ginny. 

Hermione was shaking her head as if she was trying to free herself of some really bad thoughts. "Sorry but I have to make sure. You mean actual Gods, like centuries-old all-powerful beings who live in heaven? What about science," she asked in a pained voice.

Annabeth smiled at her pitifully, "that's a loaded question, well,-" 

Percy interrupted her, "the Gods don't live in heaven. They live in mount Olympus. It's not in Greece anymore though, they relocated it a while ago and it floats over the empire state building now."  
Hermione's mouth hung open.

Ron grinned at her and shrugged, "are you a witch or not?" She scowled at him.

Percy turned to Ginny, "maybe we can show you camp later, but now I want to hear something about this wizard school of yours that we will be going to," he decided.

The wizards were nice enough, he was actually eager to get to know them. It was nice to meet someone who didn't suffer from any kind of trauma yet. He desperately hoped that he wouldn't be around to see them develop theirs. He would do what he could to save them the pain.

"Show us? how?" Lupin wanted to know. 

Percy gave Annabeth a questioning look, "I thought we could maybe Iris Message Camp. Ask Grover to do a tour?" He said.  


Annabeth considered it for a second, then she nodded, "that will be ultimate proof," she conceded.

Then she turned to Lupin, "Do you know how mortal phone calls work? Its something like that but you also see who you're calling. We simply call someone at Camp and voila you can see the place." Annabeth informed him.

Hermione spoke up, "it would probably be best if I explained what they need to know about Hogwarts because I am the only one who has grown up with muggles. I know what will most likely surprise them."

Nobody seemed eager to disagree with Hermione and Mrs.Weasley excused herself and bustled off to get the ingredients she needed to cook dinner. He liked Hermione well enough, if only because she faintly reminded him of Annabeth. 

After a brief discussion, they reseated in the livingroom. Mr.Weasley and Lupin stayed in the kitchen.

Hermione didn't waste any time.  
"At 11 magical kids get their Hogwarts letter, there are 7 years at Hogwarts. I don't know what year you will be in, I'm assuming Dumbledore will let you know in time," she began rattling these facts off in the shrill voice she had adapted halfway through hearing who they really were.

"When we get our school supplies in Diagon Alley, just don't touch anything that moves by itself if you can avoid it." 

"We get to Hogwarts via train, there is a hidden platform for wizards only, we can show you how to get there. When we are there I am assuming Dumbledore will have come up with a reason why you are supposedly with us. If not we will just say you are American exchange students."

"Oh, and once we are at Hogwarts mind the stairs, they like to move."  
"What else?" She was entirely lost in thought. Then her head perked up with enthusiasm.

"You will have to get sorted, of course," she declared. 

"What?" Asked all seven simultaneously. When someone like Hermione got excited about school traditions it didn't bode well for them

"Oh into one of the four Hogwarts houses," she informed like they should know what that means. They glanced at each other.

Ron snorted, "like there is any question they will all be in Gryffindor," he announced, "They saved the world for merlin's sake."

Hermione huffed, "not necessarily Ronald," her voice made everyone duck away, "Cedric was a Hufflepuff and he was a hero. There are many people outside Gryffindor who are real heroes."

The seven traded confused looks. "How do you get 'sorted'," inquired Annabeth. Percy would have preferred to ask who Cedric was, it sounded like they knew the guy and past tense was never promising.

Hermione took a deep breath like a longer explanation was about to follow,  
"There are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. One house for each of the four founders of the school,-"  


Ron poked her, "the important stuff only 'Mione," he reminded her.

She sighed, "students are basically sorted by personality traits. Gryffindors are brave, chivalrous and daring. Slytherins are cunning, ambitious and-"  
"Evil," interrupted Ron. 

"Resourceful," corrected Hermione and pushed him away."

"It's just that many of them are on the wrong side of the war. I suppose their ambition makes them easy to polarize, you-know-who was in that house," she explained. 

The seven looked like they did not know who. Hermione sighed, "Voldemort," she said in a hushed voice. Ron flinched.  
"We avoid saying his name if we can," she added. The seven nodded respectfully, they all knew way too well how much power a name could hold.

Hermione cleared her throat, "where was I? Right, Ravenclaws are wise, open-minded and creative. Hufflepuffs are loyal, just and true. You don't have to fit all three traits perfectly, it's about what trait prevails out of them all that gets you sorted. In some cases it's about what you value most, nobody really knows for sure," she finished. 

Hermione rubbed one hand over the arm of her sweater like she just decided that the sorting techniques needed interrogation. Percy grinned, no wonder Annabeth seemed to like that one.

"How is the sorting done?" Jason wanted to know. An unpleasant image of paper documents asking to describe oneself traveled past Percy's inner eye and he looked at Ron quizically. Probably his best shot to get a straight forward answer.

"By a hat," said Ron. Okay, now that was a little too short of an answer. 

"A hat?" He followed up.  
"A sentient hat, it looks in your head and judges your character. Then it announces your house," described Hermione.

Leo grimaced, "I'll pass. No thanks. My thoughts are mine."  
Hermione smiled, "it's really not that bad," she insisted.

"So you are all in Gryffindor?" Said Percy thoughtfully. 

"Yes," agreed Hermione and all of the Weasleys at once. 

"All of my brothers before me were in Gryffindor too," added Ron proudly. 

"Almost everyone who is in the Order was in Gryffindor," Ginny put in.

Annabeth was horrified, "you mean to tell me that you willingly split your entire society into four groups who are encouraged never to act outside their personality group? How did that not start a war any sooner?" She asked baffled.

Percy looked surprised, he had been about to compare it to Camps cabin system. Then again, there was a reason the Romans didn't use that system. And there were a lot more than four cabins. Annabeth had a point.

Hermione unhappily considered what Annabeth had said, "I never thought about it that way," she admitted.

"Okay," Annabeth took a deep breath and gazed at her friends around here. "There is no way all of us will be in the same house," she decided. "It's not just statistically unlikely, its also that I know you guys and we, no matter how much we like each other, do have significant differences."

Percy felt the color drain from his face, somehow longtime separation as a side effect of this quest hadn't come to his mind before. Hermione saw his expression, he quickly masked it.

"You will still have classes together, and you can see each other in your downtime. You just can't go to the other common rooms and we are separated at mealtimes."

The seven exchanged even more uneasy glances. They would have to arrange themselves with it.

"I think Hufflepuff would be fine for me," said Frank wistfully. 

"Same here," said Jason.

Percy shook his head, "Gryffindor I think. Annabeth too." 

Annabeth seemed surprised, "Percy I honestly think I'd be more suited for Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I am ambitious."

Ron and Ginny protested heavily, insisting she was way too nice to be a Slytherin. Annabeth insisted that with the traits Hermione had listed there wasn't anything wrong in particular, and gave them her best challenging glare. 

Percy feared he knew what quest Annabeth had just put on herself. The Weasley siblings shifted uncomfortably. 

"I have literally no idea what house I will be in," declared Leo, "and I don't care." 

Piper turned away, "Me neither," she said but it didn't sound sincere. 

Hazel shrugged, "I suppose it doesn't really matter."

At that Ron was outright offended. Okay, maybe there was a deeper-seated problem here. Annabeth eyed the wizards like a psychologist might eye a patient.

"Do you want to know what makes us strongest," she gestured at the seven of them, "we know how to play our strengths and differences to our advantage. Having diverse allies can save you more than anything. Because different views cause different input and generate different ideas and plans," she insisted her chin raised.

Annabeth decided, "our first course of action should be to reunite the four houses." Percy groaned as if he hadn't seen it coming. The others didn't look too happy either.

He was surprised that the Weasleys weren't revolting the idea but judging by their expressions they were still awestruck enough from the backstories of the seven that they didn't dare.

"Will you help us?" Pried Annabeth. 

Hermione was, unsurprisingly, the first to answer, "yes," she said decidedly and nudged Ron until he reluctantly gave in.

"I can't wait for Harry to get here," complained Ron once Hermione and Annabeth had bullied everyone into agreeing with them. 

"Who made them the bosses anyways," he mumbled a lot less audibly, Leo grinned at him with sympathy.

Jason absentmindedly answered, "there was this one moment on one of our first days on the Argo ll when we were sailing against Gaea. Our two teams had just united and Percy and I didn't know each other that well yet. We held the first war conference and there was only one chair at the head of the table."

He shrugged, "very awkward moment. Percy and I were both used to being the only child of one of the big three at our Camp, which comes with automatic respect." Percy wanted to disagree.

"Anyway, we just kind of agreed to let Annabeth have the position. Because we may both be powerful, but power is useless if you don't use it right. And strategics are her gift," he informed them with a wry smile. 

Leo shook his head at the memory, "I totally thought you were gonna kill each other for a hot second there." The others laughed. Hermione's eyes were shining as she stared at Annabeth.

They spent the rest of time until dinner going over everything they needed to know for school. By the time Mrs. Weasley asked them to set the table, Percy's head buzzed unpleasantly.

He was tired and after recounting all their adventures he knew the nightmares would be bad that night. By now it was a struggle to keep his eyes open, due to the different time zones they had more or less skipped one night of sleep.

The other six didn't look any better, Frank was blinking forcefully. 

Leo was rubbing his eyes and smeared grease all over his face while he dis- and reassembled a small toy roboter. The twins were watching him intently over his shoulders. Percy worried that over short or long those three would be a fatal combination.

The dinner Mrs.Weasley had prepared smelled delicious. There were roast potatoes, some kind of stew and a few strange looking dishes that were either British or wizard. 

They all dug in hungrily and for a few minutes, all they heard was blessed silence. He noticed that somehow Lupin had already produced a book about greek mythology that was lying next to his plate. Percy found it oddly heartwarming that the guy cared enough to read up instead of pestering them with his questions.

The silence was abruptly broken when a tiny piece of parchment fluttered into the room. It was burning. The six looked at Leo who dropped his fork and hastily said, "wasn't me."

Mr.Weasley caught the parchment, "ah, it's a note from Tonks," he announced. "To let us know she and Moody and a few others are going to pick up Harry tomorrow. She is requesting you to be there Remus."

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were more than pleased at the news. "Finally," sighed Hermione, "not hearing from him was starting to drive me insane." 

Lupin nodded, "I'm sure Dumbledore had his reasons. I'll contact Tonks later to take care of the details."

"The sooner you get him out of there the better, his relatives are the worst," declared Ron. 

"I suppose Dumbledore wants him to be at the meeting tomorrow night," determined Hermione.

Instantly the adults began to argue, Hermione just sighed and ignored it.

Then Percy spoke up and instantly the others quieted down, "About that meeting tomorrow. I'd prefer it if we didn't have to retell our entire life story." 

He grimaced, "we will introduce ourselves and tell them who we are. But what we told you about our private lifes should remain confidential. And whoever else will be there tomorrow will just have to take our word for who we are. For all I care they can ask Dumbledore if they don't believe us," he grumbled. His tone made it clear that this wasn't a request.

Ron laughed humorlessly, "good luck with that." Percy wasn't sure what he meant but he chose not to ask. 

Ginny cleared her throat, "two of you should speak for your entire group. Maybe prepare something short to prove your identity without telling them everything. Would that be possible?"

Leo beamed, "sure thing chica, I can totally speak for us all." 

"No," said the six others with varying degrees of horror. 

"Percy and I will speak," decided Annabeth, "I'm the only one whose powers don't have a physical manifestation, the rest of you should be able to give a short demonstration?" She questioned.

"What do you want me to do?" Piper looked smug, "Ask," she activated her charmspeak, "Leo Valdez to slap himself?"

Leo smacked himself. The twins looked like they wanted to crown Piper their queen. Leo glared at her and rubbed his cheek, "curse you, Piper," he grumbled.

Percy chuckled, "never gets old." The others laughed with him, even the wizards.

"Good to see that you are just kids in some ways," mused Lupin, "however, maybe not an appropriate demonstration for the order meeting," he added dryly and the others laughed even more. 

Hermione glanced at Leo, "aren't you mad?" 

He chuckled, "not really, there are far worse pranksters at Camp. Most of whom think deathtraps are funny," he shrugged. "This is harmless."

Piper scowled, "you used to get a lot more upset at that," she noted tentatively. 

"That was before I met Calypso when I was still trying to impress any girl who didn't know me. Not like that worked anyways," he admitted openly.

"I'm glad you and Calypso started dating," said Annabeth and it sounded sincere. 

"I miss her," complained Leo and there was the faintest bit of worry on his face. 

"Calypso. I think I've heard that name before," said Lupin and tapped his book, "but Perseus and Jason are also names out of old myths. Is it a tradition for your kind to reuse the names of heroes?" He asked and it was the first time he really sounded like a teacher.

Percy didn't ask when Lupin had heard his full name and shook his head, "it's just a coincidence that Jason and I both have recycled names. And Calypso is the original." He didn't think anything of his explanation until of course, Lupin asked his next question.

"Pardon me, I must have confused something. What was the myth around Calypso again? If you don't mind me asking," he looked puzzled. 

Leo leaned back in his chair, "what do you think it was?" He challenged.

"Something about an island where Odysseus stranded once, but that can't be right, that was ages ago," Lupin answered.

"That would be her," informed Leo cheerfully and changed the subject.

The rest of the dinner passed with comfortable jokes. Every now and again Lupin or Hermione would name a random greek myth and ask them to confirm or deny. Annabeth answered most of them accordingly. 

A few times they put in their own stories if it was something they had experienced. Lupin knew a surprising amount, he even mentioned the sphinx with its riddles which made Percy laugh. 

"Do you wanna know what Annabeth did when we faced that thing? She freaking demanded a harder riddle for our lifes." The demigods laughed. The wizards looked concerned. 

Annabeth argued, "the questions were completely outdated. And you don't get to joke about me being crazy!" She defended, pointing at Percy accusingly. 

"when have I ever been that crazy?" Asked Percy, and regretted it immediately, "Okay don't answer that." The others laughed again.

They finished dinner and agreed on a loose plan for the next day, then the seven excused themselves and went upstairs to inspect their rooms.

_______________________________________

Annabeth 

Hermione came upstairs with them, and showed them two rooms across from each other. She turned to Annabeth, "this room is for the girls. Ginny and I will be staying here as well."

Annabeth followed her inside. The tapestry was just as dark as the one downstairs with a heavy bordeaux flower pattern. Five massive wooden beds stood against one wall, they were newer than the rest of the room. Maybe they had been transfigured out of something else, she supposed.

There were two giant windows on the left wall and the room was spacious enough, even for the five of them. "I was just wondering," said Annabeth, "has this house always belonged to the Order?" The question had been burning in the back of her mind ever since they got here.

Hermione explained that a member of the Order had donated it not too long ago, "you should have seen it before we cleared it out," noted Hermione, "cursed objects and stuff about the dark arts everywhere. Sirius is on our side but the part of his family that last actually lived here wasn't." Annabeth nodded satisfied, that was what she had expected.

Before she could say anything else, Piper let herself fall onto her bed, "this is so nice," she said sincerely. "Time zones should be banned," groaned Hazel and did the same. 

Hermione's eyes went wide, "I am so sorry, I completely forgot for how long you've been traveling. How are you even still up?" She exclaimed.

The other girls giggled, "the adrenalin," explained Annabeth and began rummaging through her suitcase. How it ended up in this room she didn't ask, she couldn't even remember loading it out of the car. What a strange day.

She placed her Drakon bone dagger on her nightstand. Next to it lay her New York Yankees cap and book. Finally, she grabbed a change of clothes and made her way to the bathroom. Annabeth was more than ready for this day to end, even if it meant welcoming the nightmares.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Frank

After dinner, they followed Hermione back upstairs. The house was gloomy and unwelcoming to him but the others didn't seem to notice. The Weasleys were good people, only of the twins he was a little wary.

He tried his best to remember what he could about the wizarding world but it was like finding out he was the son of a god all over again. At least he wasn't alone on this quest. 

The others confidence was throwing him off, explaining to a bunch of strangers that gods existed wasn't his idea of a good time. If he was honest he felt like a Jehovah's witness, only that he was aware of how ridiculous what he was saying sounded.

The room he was sharing with Percy, Leo, and Jason, was just as depressing as the rest of the house. However, being alone did give them a chance to exchange some thoughts about their first day. 

They all agreed that it was bizarre to be on the other end of the 'the gods are real talk'. The fates sometimes had the strangest ways. Half the time he didn't know what he was doing and now he was more or less supposed to mentor someone else. He wondered if that was what Chiron felt like all the time.

They flopped down on their respective beds. It had been a long day.

The way Ron and Hermione looked at each other, that he understood. They had been betrayed or lied to or pushed aside by the adults who were in control so often that they stopped trusting anybody but each other and most likely Harry. 

This was their quest, they were a trio of Heroes with a prophecy. Earning their trust would be hard and meddling with fate was dangerous. Nonetheless, they had to try, because gods knew from what they heard about this war, these three would need all the support they could get.

"You realize that this isn't really our quest, right?" He blurted out. The others turned to face him. 

"What do you mean?" asked Percy.  
Frank cleared his throat nervously, "we are here to coach them. To be the cavalry and second defense. But the prophecy is Harry's. He has to be at the center of all of this. He has to call the shots or all of this will fail."

Jason tilted his head, "that's a new challenge. I suppose you are right, and from what Hermione told us, it's obvious that she and Ron are the two heroes Harry chose to take with him on this quest."

"Only that they are not heroes, they are wizards," corrected Leo, "if this Harry guy was clever he would have chosen Fred and George," he added.

Percy sat up straight, "do our rules of prophecy even apply to them? What oracle did their prophecy come from? Frank, you are really onto something here," he said.

That may be true but he was also so so tired. "We'll talk to the wizards about that as soon as we get a chance," he promised with a yawn.  
"I don't think they will know that. Hazel is our best chance, really," mused Jason.

"Either way," said Percy, "we have a lot of questions to go over," and his voice was already getting quieter.

Frank took the time to apply a tiny drop of nectar to his shoulder. The cut had been irritating him all-day. The golden liquid hit the open gash and steamed. There was a burning sensation then the irritating ache started to subside. He sighed. 

Jason frowned, "why didn't you say anything?" 

Frank shrugged, "didn't matter." 

Instantly Jason started berating him about how irresponsible that kind of behavior was, "you are starting to act like Nico and I honestly can't deal with two of that sort," muttered Jason.

Frank laughed heartily, "me? Like Nico? Dude stop." 

Leo threw a pillow at Jason's head, "man, you are way too protective of the guy." 

Jason retorted, "well, somebody has to be," and returned the pillow with so much force that Leo fell backwards onto his bed. The floorboards complained with a long creak. 

Leo wheezed, "not cool."  
"Sorry," said Jason but he didn't sound it.  
________________________________________

Ron

Hermione was still fussing over this morning's daily prophet. Truthfully the newest article presenting Harry as a liar had been especially upsetting. But he just didn't get how fretting over it would do them any good.

Their guests were spread all throughout the house and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. This morning Fred and George had swiftly kicked him out of the room they shared. Minutes later they kidnapped Leo from the breakfast table and ever since explosions of varying sizes could be heard from their room in 15-minute intervals. He sighed and hoped his stuff was safe.

Ginny had vanished with Hazel shortly after breakfast. The two already acted like best friends, it was mildly frightening how quick girls were over these matters.

Across from him at the kitchen table sat Hermione, explaining the numerous degrees on which this article was an outrage to a patient Annabeth. At Annabeths side sat Percy.

Ron wasn't listening, neither was Percy. They struck up a silent conversation while stuffing down their breakfast.

Once Hermione was done ranting, Annabeth began pestering her about the ministry of magic. Next, she wanted to know about the war, not a comfortable topic for such a quiet morning. Nonetheless, Hermione explained everything.

In a hushed voice so Mom wouldn't hear her she gave them the watered-down version of the first war and how you know who rose again. Just as she finished explaining how Harry killed the Basilisk in second year, Lupin walked in. 

Hermione wisely went quiet. None of the adults could stand their involvement, Lupin was hardly an exception. She glanced at Annabeth to let her know she'd continue later. Annabeth nodded.

Jason and Frank followed Lupin. Judging by their uneasy expressions they must have spent all morning answering his questions. Ron almost felt bad for them but it was hard to feel bad for two guys of their size.

All the Demigod stuff was admittedly hard to stomach and he wondered if that was what Hermione felt like when she first found out about the wizarding world. He dismissed the thought and instead considered how they would break all of this to Harry. Best friend or not, he could be rather hot-tempered.

With the most recent accusations, Cedric's death and the rise of you know who last year, he really couldn't imagine how Harry must be feeling. Moreover, he and Hermione hadn't been allowed to write him a single letter all summer, Ron winced. Yeah, Harry would be in a foul mood when he got here.

Hermione, with the help of professor Lupin, had gone back to explaining the basics of the wizarding world to the present Demigods. They were chattering animatedly and he watched Hermione.

Trust her to find this confusing mess fascinating. The sunlight that trickled through the kitchen window caught in her hair. Her lips curled every time she explained something well and she was entirely in thought.

Ron hadn't even noticed he was staring until Percy kicked him under the table and offered him an all-knowing smirk. His ears went red. 

Luckily that was when his Mom walked in, she didn't always have awful timing. She was waving a wooden spoon around and bristled through the kitchen, undoubtedly already preparing the big dinner for the entire Order that night.

________________________________________

Hermione

By the time the first Order members started arriving, she had managed to bring Annabeth up to date on the most recent war events. It felt freeing to tell the whole story to someone and Annabeth was a good listener. She hummed thoughtfully every now and again and asked good questions but she never interrupted. 

There were still so many questions open but at least by summarizing everything she had been able to bring her own thoughts in order. Tonight's meeting simply had to generate some new information.

Even though, she was anxious on the demigod's behalves and worried about Harry's reaction to seeing her after not having heard anything all summer. Their plan to reunite the Hogwarts houses at least gave them something to do but she was aware that it was an awfully ambitious goal. 

Additionally to that, Ron kept staring at her as if he was mad and she couldn't figure out why. It was slowly driving her insane.

The first to arrive was Sirius, followed shortly by McGonagall. Both tried to get an early look at their mystery guests but the demigods were hiding out in the girl's bedroom upstairs. They were conspiring on how to best introduce themselves believably while still coming across as trustworthy.

Next was Professor Snape, which was Hermione's que to hide as well. From then on she heard the front door a few times but paid it no mind.

She was just attempting to calm her nerves by reading up on Greek mythology when the front door opened again. This time she heard a familiar owl screech and Lupin and Tonks talking. Instantly she dropped her book.

Halfway downstairs she felt more than she saw Ron racing after her. She made it to the foot of the steps first and was met was a familiar grin and bright green eyes.

"Harry!" She yelped despite herself and threw herself in his arms for a bone-crushing hug, even if she would deny ever doing so later. It was good to have him back. Ron chuckled behind her telling her to let him breathe. 

She let go of their friend and stood by as Ron hugged him next. Then Mrs. Weasley rushed out of the kitchen to greet him as well, complaining about how skinny he had become again.

She and Ron dragged Harry upstairs into Ron's room which had a few scorch marks from the twins' experiments, but there they had some privacy. The rest of the house bustled with live.

"Not one letter?" Asked Harry and he sounded so genuinely hurt that she instantly regretted listening to Dumbledore. She and Ron explained the Order of the Phoenix and the letter ban as well as they could, which annoyed Harry but he wasn't mad at them.

Seeing him mad at Dumbledore was understandable but it also made her uneasy. Infighting in times of war never led to anything good. Still, she couldn't blame him. 

For a few minutes, it felt like they were back at Hogwarts, just three best friends talking. But it didn't last long. 

Ron cleared his throat, "it's good to have you back mate. Especially with all of Dumbledore's new recruits in the house," he said casually, which of course got Harry's attention. 

"New recruits?" He asked and Hermione really hoped he would give the seven the benefit of the doubt. 

"Seven Americans, not much older than us. They are nice," she said hastily, in an effort to steer Harry's first impression a little.

Sadly, Ron had no such subtlety in mind. "They are freaking mental, mate, let me tell you. Nice, yeah, but mental," he declared. Hermione glared at him.

"Dumbledore says they will be able to help. They have just seen a lot of bad stuff, I guess that can twist anybody," she rectified.

"Oh really. Thanks 'Mione," said Harry sarcastically. 

"I didn't mean you," she sighed and wondered why guys always had to be so complicated. "I guess its best if we warn you, they aren't like us," she began. Better to lay it on him gently, she thought.

But no such luck, just then Fred and George popped up next to Harry, scarring the living daylights out of her. They informed them that the adults had begun the meeting, oh surprise, without them.

It didn't take much arguing to decide how they'd proceed. All five of them piled into the hallway to eavesdrop.

To her astonishment, they were met with seven pouting demigods who had also been locked out. Plus Ginny who was having the time of her life. She took a step back to watch Harry warily.

He coldly regarded the seven, his eyes stuck to Jason for just a second too long but he didn't say anything. Instead, he took the gummy ear George offered him and they listened.

Despite only having known the seven for two days, it instantly felt like they were all partners in crime. She had to suppress a giggle as she imagined what they looked like right now.

Seven teenage half-gods and five teenage wizards. All lying in one row on the floor next to the top end of the stairs, so they could peer down into the hallway. One end of their fake ear dangling loosely in front of the closed kitchen door. It was ridiculous. 

She bit her lip trying not to laugh. So far the adults hadn't said anything they didn't know already but this sure was a bonding experience. 

Then Crookshanks showed up. She adored her cat but this was really bad timing, the laughter died in her throat and she tried gesturing for her cat to go away but he politely ignored her.

Crookshanks was investigating the fake ear and Hermione cursed internally. Just her luck that now the cat wanted to play. Other times she could present him with a dozen different toys and he wouldn't care, but now? It was no use. His fuzzy ginger paws were already clawing for the ear.

The others were also cursing her cat and she felt herself blush. 

"Whose demon is that?" Spat Leo, then he reached into his tool belt and pulled out a laser pointer. Hermione would have to applaud him later.

Leo pointed the red dot at the ear to get Crookshanks's attention and then he slowly pulled it away, moving it in a circle on the floor. Thank merlin Crookshanks was, other than being unusually smart, just a regular cat. He fell for it.

Leo got several silent thank you's and they could keep listening.

They heard Mrs. Weasley repeat, "He is just a boy," for emphasis then there were too many voices arguing to discern who was saying what. She could make out that Sirius seemed to be on Harry's side but not much more than that. 

Harry next to her mouthed, "Dumbledore is here?" After hearing the old headmasters voice, Hermione could only shrug. 

The floor was cold and uncomfortable but she didn't dare move and risk missing vital information. Snape was complaining in his typical whiny voice how much of a shame it was that they needed Harry because he deemed him useless. Hermione's fists clenched and she felt Harry tense next to her. "That slimy git," mumbled Ron.

Sirius and Remus promptly shut Snape up and didn't spare on Details describing how Harry had more than proven himself last year. Which led to Mrs.Weasley and McGonagall going back to how they didn't want to put him through even more. The adults were going in circles and it was irritating her even from a distance.

Yes, it sucked that Harry was at the center of all of this, but they couldn't change that. 'Why weren't they discussing what to do?' She wanted to yell at them to get their priorities straight and help them prepare, sadly that wasn't an option.

Then the voices were getting louder. Not louder, closer to the door she corrected. Someone, maybe Kingsley, said, "I think it's time that you introduce these new allies to us, Professor Dumbledore." 

She had just time to think that their position on the floor was rather obvious when the door creaked and began to part.

________________________________________

Harry

The summer had been terrible. He felt betrayed and alone and useless. Nobody wanted to tell him anything, he simply had to cope with being pushed around and getting last-minute instructions. More than anything he wanted to take action, prepare, plan, do something other than wait for the next disaster to happen.

But it was no use. As if it hadn't already been clear that it was him specifically the order didn't want to be involved, they had now invited a bunch of other teenagers to take care of this mess. Some of them were obviously younger than him and yet the adults attempted to feed him the old excuse that he was too young to do anything. How stupid did they think he was?

His first impression of the seven hadn't been too bad. They had helped eavesdropping on the order meeting after all, even if it was in their own interest. But the idea that they were more or less here to replace him was painfully eating away at the rational side of his brain. Who were they anyway?

Just then the door began to open and someone grabbed him by his collar and yanked him to his feet. Not a pleasant sensation, but better than being caught eavesdropping.

Harry looked up to see who his rescuer was, and was met with electric blue eyes so startling he had to look away. "Thank you," he mumbled and saw that the others had ensured that Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins weren't caught either. How they had reacted so fast, he couldn't know but he supposed it didn't matter. 

Kingsley was standing in the doorway analyzing them as they all tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Hermione was smoothing down her hair, Ron was scratching his nose. Harry suppressed a small grin, at least he had his friends back.

Kingsley raised one eyebrow at them but if he saw anything he didn't comment on it. Instead, he said, "please come downstairs, I think we are all eager to meet our new allies," he offered them a polite smile. 

Ron coughed, "does that mean us too, or?" 

The tall blonde guy who helped him earlier said, "yeah, you as well. Just act like it's evident you're supposed to be there," he smirked.

They made their way downstairs, Harry in the lead. Sirius stepped outside to greet him out of view from the rest of the Order. Harry beamed, seeing his godfather was as rare as it was good. They didn't say anything, too many people waiting, but Sirius smiled at him and clapped him the shoulder before Harry went past him.

The quiet footsteps of the others followed him as they advised each other in hushed voices. Hermione appeared to be frantically giving tips to the blonde girl next to her. All conversation stopped and the seven immediately straightened up as they came within sight of the door.

In the kitchen, he was faced with far more people than he had expected. The room was close to bursting, everything had been rearranged to accommodate that many people. Everyone was talking all over each other, still, he felt several eyes on him. Some kind, others cold or questioning. He really wished they would remember how rude it was to stare.

There were the Aurors who had taken him away from Privet Drive, several of his teachers (to his dismay including Snape), the Weasleys, and even Hagrid.

All of them looked at him as he entered the room, Professor McGonagall greeted him quietly. Hagrid regarded him with a genuine smile and patted the free chair next to him. Harry walked over, glad not to be sent away for once, Ron and Hermione followed him.

The twins and Ginny snuck past their Mother and squeezed themselves in the very back of the room. Harry saw Sirius and Tonks placing themselves in front of the three. Acting almost like it was an accident that they were blocking Mrs.Weasley's view. Sirius winked at him.

Then a hush fell over the room, and if he thought they had stared at him like an animal in a zoo, he was now corrected. The seven recruits strode in, forced to stand at the front of the room like they were on display because all other space was taken.

There was open gaping and suspicious murmuring and Harry could tell that the seven were faking their nonchalance.

They all wore equal expressions of defiance but one of the girls was trying to hide that her hands were shaking and a tall Chinese looking guy strictly avoided eye contact with all of them. 

The girl with the shaking hands couldn't be older than fourteen. Her skin was dark and her curly cinnamon hair was tied back in a loose bun. Pressing her lips in a thin line she attempted to look confident. 

The Chinese guy was extremely muscled but not much older than the girl, he stood straight but his eyes betrayed him. Clearly, he wanted to be anywhere but the spotlight.

Harry didn't want to look further to the left. He had noticed the blond guy first when he stepped in the hallway earlier and he didn't think he could look at him again. Maybe he was starting to go mental if he was already seeing dead people wherever he looked. He sighed and tried to ignore to uncomfortable suspiciousness of the group around him.

From earlier he knew that the other recruits were a comparatively small guy with messy curly hair, a blonde girl who was most definitely older than him and looked like she had taken classes on how to look stern together with Hermione. As well as a girl who oddly reminded him of the girls from the Beauxbaton Acadamy and a tall guy with a sinister expression in his green eyes.

Briefly, he wondered if the others thought the last guy looked like him. He had green eyes and black hair after all, but he didn't have glasses or a scar, his hair wasn't as messy and he looked older and healthier. In other words, he looked like Harry might have looked if his life wasn't so messed up. He was taller to, which just added insult to injury.

What was it about these seven that sat them apart? Hermione had been about to say something earlier before the twins cut her off. 'They are not like us-,' he mused. Dumbledore had asked for them. Who were they?

The black-haired guy grumbled something to his friends and he saw the others relax for a second. Harry had the faint idea of having heard the word 'zoo,' and his lips curled a little. It didn't seem right to be glad that it wasn't him who was being oggled for once, still, he felt the tiniest bit relieved.

How easy would it be to just pass his role onto someone else? Let them do the work, he certainly wouldn't mind. But it was impossible, there was a part he had to play or they were all doomed. If he hadn't known it before he knew it for sure now that Voldemort had used him to come back. They were connected. 

Hatred uncurled in his stomach like a snake that was always there just sometimes asleep. He would be damned if he let old snake face win. No, he would do what he had to, with or without help. If the Order and Dumbledore didn't believe in him, he'd do it on his own.

As if he had heard Harry's thoughts, Dumbledore chose that exact moment to step into the crowded kitchen. All noise died down instantly.

Expectantly the crowd watched the Headmaster for his every move. Dumbledore was unbothered. He shook the hands of each one of the seven, appearing to know exactly who they were.

It was impossible to hear what Dumbledore said to them but eventually, he turned to face the still silent crowd.  
He firmly placed himself in front of the seven. His stance was clear, 'they are with me,' he was signaling and there was not to be any opposition. 

Sometimes Harry hated the Headmasters all commanding presence, other times he admired it.  
After a summer of not hearing from anyone who cared about him on the man's order, it was hard to admire him rather than resent his attitude. 

Maybe he would finally get some answers, he hoped and was careful not to glare. 

"I am glad to see that everyone appears to have answered my call," Dumbledore began and Harry suppressed a scoff, suddenly aware that everyone else in this room was craving answers and a direction as much as he was.

"I have informed most of you that we were expecting allies who have traveled far in order to assist us," he gazed over the rim of his glasses.

"Please welcome them," he sounded airy as ever, "and be reminded that in times of war, friendship and trust matter more than ever. Even, if not especially, when they come out of unexpected allegiances." Harry was beginning to think the guy memorized quotes about friendship in his free time.

"I believe it best if they introduce themselves to you, but be informed they have my trust on behalf of their teacher, my old friend Chiron," Dumbledore ended and stepped away.

Harry's eyes followed the headmaster who took of his dark blue traveling cloak and transfigured it into a chair in order to sit down in the first row. He too glanced up at the seven like he didn't know what to expect, "Mr. Jackson, we'd be ready if you are," he said with the typical sparkle in his eyes. 

The seven stood in a perfect row, tense like the rest of the room. To Harry's dismay, it was the black-haired guy who stepped forward to speak for them.

"My name is Percy Jackson," he began with calm authority in his voice. Out of his friends, he was the most unbothered about the situation. Cooly glancing over the rows of people he seemed more annoyed than nervous.

"I am the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. My friends and I have traveled here from our Greek and Roman training Camps for Demigods in the US to help with your war effort upon Dumbledore's request," he spoke with such certainty and speed that no one interrupted him for fear of missing something.

Harry was sure he must have misheard that but he had no time to ponder it.  
"Annabeth," said Percy the most likely insane, and turned to the blonde girl.

"My name is Annabeth Chase, I am a daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategic war," somehow she managed to sound both, certain and nervous. This time there was audible scoffing in the audience.

"Our kind is hidden from the outside world as well as your kind. We did not know wizards existed up until last week, now we stand before you," she acknowledged, gaining authority with her words.

Harry took a moment to stomach that, considering if they could be saying the truth. After all, there had been a time in his life when he didn't know wizards existed either. Was it possible that another world existed, hidden like the wizarding world?

He searched the masses for Hermione, she made eye contact with him and nodded subtly. She if anyone understood what he was thinking and she showed her trust in the seven strange guests.

Trust was maybe too strong a word, she believed them. So did Ron apparently. Harry shrunk in his seat as he felt a terrible headache begin, knowing his life had just become even more insane.

Aware of the adults around him, it struck him that many of them were pureblood wizards. They never had a moment where they had to acknowledge that their entire world view was wrong, for them this was utterly foreign. If the seven were telling the truth, they had a hard round of questioning ahead of them.

Annabeth waited till the crowd had quieted down, "Our teacher Chiron has sent us to preserve peace. If there is war amongst you it is only a question of time till we will be found out and attacked. We will not wait for that."

McGonagall was the first to dare and ask one of many questions even so her face remained impassive, not betraying what she believed.  
"If you are saying the truth, why did specifically you seven come here to help?"

Percy cleared his throat, "in the last two years there were two major wars in our world. All of us have fought in the front line of the second one, some of us in both," he shook his head.

"All we want is some peace, so if there is a different kind of catastrophe threatening to get us now that would really mess with our plans," he declared, caring less about his attitude with each sentence.

Harry's heart beat faster, this couldn't be possible. If they were what they said they were they could be of unmeasurable help. Glancing at Dumbledore who listened with a satisfied smile, he thought that the old Headmaster had finally done something right.

The blonde girl, Annabeth, took over again, "It was our teacher Chiron, the millennia-old Centaur who thaught Hercules and hundreds of Heroes after him, who elected we should be the seven to go. But others are waiting for our word should more help be needed."

His thoughts were running at a thousand miles an hour, how much more help could they offer? An entire army? How much were they willing to help? The questions were toppling over each other in his head.

Annabeth went on, "In our Camps, we are trained to deal with the worst possible situations and go on missions to prove ourselves. You might be surprised how much help we can offer, but we are not here to prove ourselves to you. We will introduce ourselves, some of us will demonstrate our powers and then it is up to you if you believe us or not," she looked at the guy next to her and nodded.

Shuddering Harry had to accept that the blond guy still looked like Cedric, except for the blue eyes.

Stepping forward he said, "My name is Jason Grace, I am the son of Jupiter, Lord of the sky. I know that we are trying your worldview and patience but please keep an open mind. This is not the first prophecy we are dealing with," he sounded as if he was used to it that people listened when he spoke. 

Next, the small Latino guy stepped forward, "okay, keeping this short 'cause I know you have many questions," he said nervously, "I'm Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus the god of fire and forges," he stepped back.

The pretty girl with coppery skin and choppy dark hair spoke next, "Piper Mclean, daughter of Aphrodite," was all she said.

The tall Chinese guy followed her example, "Frank Zhang, son of Mars god of war," his voice was quiet but in the otherwise silent room, it carried well.

Lastly, the girl he had noticed earlier stepped forth, "Hazel Levesque," she said, "daughter of Pluto, god of earth and riches."

Harry's head was spinning and he hoped Hermione would take the time to explain basic greek mythology to him the next time they spoke. He was vaguely familiar with the main Greek gods but he had never heard of any of the Roman gods. 

He glanced at the seven again, matching them up in his head with the gods they had named and he had to admit that they looked the part. But were their gods really gods or just other magical beings with self-proclaimed titles?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11, Harry

Hazel took a deep breath, "is it correct that you need a wand in order to properly use your magic?" 

Professor McGonagall answered, "That would be true, Mrs.Levesque. Only extremely powerful wizards can perform magic without a wand," sounding stern as usual.

Hazel nodded, then she raised her hands slowly and closed her eyes. Behind her, a cupboard flew open. Every fork, knife, and spoon came toppling out, flying at high speed towards Hazel. The crowd held a collective breath, waiting for the girl to be impaled by demonic cutlery.

Instead, the silverware stopped. It hovered next to Hazel in mid-air and she opened her eyes. "Daughter of the god of earth and its riches, I can control metal," she informed and with a flick of her wrist, the contents of the cupboard sorted themselves back where they belonged.

Several members of the order began to argue, had they been muggles they would have accused her of being a witch. But the wizards were entirely out of their comfort zone. 

Harry watched animatedly, the entire summer he had believed they were without options, without a plan, just waiting to be attacked again. Seeing that Dumbledore was at least reforming their forces came as a relief. 

Leo cleared his throat and the murmuring died down, "my biggest talent is probably building stuff, but I can also do this," he announced and his hand caught fire.

It happened so suddenly that several people shrieked and the first rows were shieling their faces from the waves of heat. Leo's wicked grin was illuminated by his burning hand, "I am somehow both, extremely flammable and entirely fireproof by nature," he shrugged and the flames vanished. 

"Me next," grinned Percy. The sink behind him began running, only that the water took a sharp turn halfway down and flowed towards Percy like a river on invisible ground. Percy made a pulling motion and the sink shut itself off, the water formed a trident above Percy's head. 

An unpleasant idea struck Harry, the kids might have powers that made them a big shot in their world but if their powers were limited to one element, how helpful could they really be? Even if they could do their tricks without needing a wand, what he had seen so far wasn't exactly a match for the dark lord.

A nagging voice in his head told him that they didn't need to be a match for Voldemort, he did. And anyone who could sincerely help him was welcome, as long as they didn't try to stand in his way like some of the adults did, their advice was more than welcome. He glanced around and detecting the apprehensive stares directed at the seven, he knew keeping them here would be a struggle.

"Can I borrow that for a second?" Said Jason, pointing at Percy's water trident. 

"Sure thing, dude," agreed Percy and led the water down in front of Jason.

Jason merely raised a finger and a gust of wind carried the water up, stirring it and forming a small hurricane like a magical weather replica. Then Percy waved the water back into the sink and Jason build up his breeze. 

All eyes were on Jason when he took a step as if he was going up some stairs and let the wind carry him. He was flying in the middle of the room and the wind around him pulled on everyone, Harry could feel it on his face and saw Hermione holding her hair down but he couldn't help but smile. Maybe they had a few more tricks up their sleeves than they let on.

Jason returned to the ground. Finally, Harry could see him as his own person, that guy was definitely not Cedric. There was a soft golden glow over him and now when Harry focused on the seven he saw that they were all covered in scars. How they had hidden them before, he didn't know.

Six of the seven turned towards Frank, Percy nudged him forward. Frank gulped, "the power I get from my Dad is a kind of boost that sometimes aids me in a fight but I am also a distant legacy of Neptune and from him, I inherited a family gift," he recounted. 

Frank concentrated and turned, while he turned he shrank and in a split second a black cat sat where Frank should be standing. Leo laughed, "a cat, really man? Not very creative."

Professor McGonagall scrunched up her nose as if she would like to disagree with Leo. Frank the cat jumped and turned back into Frank the shy human.

He took a deep breath, "I've been informed that among wizards there are Animagi who can turn into one specific animal. I'm not like that, I can transform into any animal as long as I can clearly envision it," he finished.

Now that was a remarkably beneficial gift. Most of the Order seemed to agree, half the people were sitting on the edge of their seats, many were whispering excitedly among each other. Harry risked a glance at Tonks and was satisfied to see that she looked ecstatic. 

Her bright purple hair was sticking in every direction, most likely because of Jason's wind show, and she was beaming at Frank. Harry didn't know how rare Methamorpfagie were in the wizarding world, but judging by Tonks's expression she didn't meet someone like herself every day.

Annabeth spoke up again, "we have already proven ourselves to the Weasleys and we would really appreciate it if you held back on all questions that aren't absolutely necessary," she informed

The murmuring rose again, this time clearly dissatisfied. Moody especially looked disgruntled, probably mourning the many interrogation ideas he now didn't get to try.

"Most general information about our world you will find in any book about greek mythology, and I think that is all we have to say," Annabeth concluded.

The seven demigods quickly brought some distance between them and the wizards. Talking amongst one another in hushed voices they dissolved their line at the center of the room in favor of leaning against the wall on the left side of the room. Hazel carefully assessed the wizards, so did Percy just a lot more subtle than Hazel.

Dumbledore stood up again, "thank you, kids. Personally, I found this little presentation rather enlightening and I am glad to welcome you in our midst."

The headmaster resumed his place at the center of the room. It took a while for the heated discussions in the back of the room to quiet down and Harry was endlessly annoyed that he couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Now in regards to the following school year; I suggest that with your permission, demigods, I will inform the entire staff of your real identities." 

They nodded, because what other choice did they have really. Harry almost laughed when he imagined Filch's face when the Headmaster told him there would be half-gods at Hogwarts from now on.

"You will be placed with the fifth-year students and your main job will be to watch out for any dangers we teachers might not be aware of. Should the school be attacked we might have to rely on you as our first defense," he said earnestly and the room erupted into chaos.

"Do you expect the school to be attacked, Professor?" Shrieked Mrs.Weasley over the turmoil. 

Dumbledore gestured for everyone to quiet down, Moody growled something about overly trustful old lunatics.

Eventually, quiet returned and Dumbledore went on, "I have no reason to expect a genuine attack on Hogwarts at this time. It remains our safest haven. However, there will soon be the first higher-scale attacks on other important locations. Perhaps even the ministry."

At that many held their breaths, someone in the audience, maybe Tonks, said 'just like last time,' under their breath. Harry hoped Dumbledore was wrong but it made an awful lot of sense. The ministry had appeared anything but stable lately. 

"I fear there might be an attack at Hogwarts that serves as a distraction. Should it look like the school is being attacked we need to be able to stand our ground without calling for reinforcement," the Headmaster claimed.

For some reason Harry doubted that that were his real motives, there had to be more going on. His throat went dry as it hit him that there was a real chance that these seven were supposed to act as spies among the students. 

If Dumbledore really had eyes and ears all over the school grounds, Harry didn't know if that would be such a good thing. Anger rose in him at the lack of trust that implicated. There was an overwhelming flood of other reasons the Headmaster could want these kids at Hogwarts, none of them were good.

Harry glanced at Percy who to his surprise was watching Dumbledore with caution and distrust equal to his own. Then Percy looked over and they made eye contact for a split second. Percy offered him a curt nod but the coldness has vanished from his eyes. 

Harry wasn't sure what Percy was trying to convey but he got the feeling that he could talk to the guy. Maybe he was just as tired of being manipulated like a chess piece as Harry was. He gave a slight smile in return.

Dumbledore went on, "We will welcome these seven young Heroes at our school and see it as a chance for new friendship, in the hope that we do not actually need their help," he stated in an attempt to soothe his audience.

'Yeah, right,' thought Harry and he caught a glance of Ginny who rolled her eyes. 

Then Snape spoke up, "and why Headmaster, do you believe we can trust them? How do we know they haven't aligned themselves with the enemy and are here to trick us?" he sneered in a demanding tone.

Harry hadn't started hating him any less over the summer. The way he addressed Dumbledore about the seven while they stood right in front of him just reconfirmed that.

Before Dumbledore could answer, Percy did, "All we know about your enemy is that he wants to wipe out all none wizard folks. We are none wizards. Clear case if you ask me," he said and his voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

Snape was grinding his teeth. Startled eyes met him from all over the room, few people would dare speak to Snape like that.

Like an afterthought, Percy added, "Also we don't support genocide like any decent person? Why on earth would we align us with him?" He laughed. 

Harry found himself thinking that maybe he should give the guy some credit, if only for angering Snape as only a true Gryffindor could. The crowd was watching the exchange tensely, some stifled their laughter. Harry suspected Sirius.

This time Snape condescendingly spoke to the seven instead of over their heads, "there are other motives to align oneself with the Dark Lord which go beyond personal moral," he sneered, still not looking at Percy directly. 

"Like?" The Halfgod defied.

"Fear," spat Snape, "blackmail, torture, insanity, mind control. He has his ways." Now he acknowledged Percy with the cold and piercing glare he usually directed at Harry. And Percy laughed.

Harry saw his friends duck away in anticipation. He himself felt his heart clench, this was about to turn ugly. Still, Snape's expression was pretty priceless.

Snape drawled, "Obviously you have not met the Dark Lord. You may be of true intentions now but how do we know that will not change?" 

"Obviously," said Percy, "you have not met us," he sounded more sarcastic than offended. 

Annabeth chimed in, "how do you know the same thing about anybody else in this room? Working together sometimes requires a bit of trust in advance," she stared up at Snape, entirely unaffected by his death glare.

She went on, "Right now, the only thing I know is that with all the names I have heard for 'Him who must not be named' since I got here, and there were a lot, you are the only one who is calling him the Dark Lord. As if you look up to him," she clarified, and Harry was certain there was going to be a murder.

The audience was divided, the teachers were shifting uncomfortably in their seats, Sirius beamed like he wanted to applaud the kid. Tonks and several others were somewhere between awestruck and horrified. Harry wanted to buy the two a butterbeer.

Dumbledore watched in wry fascination like one would watch an especially tense game of soccer. Jason, however, wasn't about to continue watching, he shouldered his way in front of Percy and Annabeth. 

In a calming voice, he said, "We understand why you are skeptical, all wars are the same in one way or another. We know that, because and this is our third war. We know how ugly it can get. Just this time it is not us at the center of the prophecy," he glanced at Harry.

So they knew who he was and what role he had to play, it didn't make him feel any better to see the concern in Jason's eyes. He looked away.

Pointedly Jason continued, "My friends aren't trying to be disrespectful, but we truly have experienced everything you named. Still, we always managed to stay true to our side. We've been through two great prophecies, give us the benefit of the doubt," he went on, clearly hoping to de-escalate the situation. 

Snape raised an eyebrow at him.  
Percy grumbled something about very much having wanted to be disrespectful but Jason stepped on his foot and he shut up.

Snape turned to Jason, "Tell me Mr.Grace, in what oh so awful ways have you been tortured," he demanded in mock sympathy, "what prophecies have you been a part of, Mr.Jackson?" He regarded them both. 

Jason raised his chin to meet the man's eyes, his kind demeanor gone. Piper grabbed his arm to steady him, Annabeth growled, "that's personal information." Percy commanded, "Jason, that's our business. Don't tell him." 

The pure anger and bitterness in Percy's eyes woke Harry out of a daze. The demigod's expression was older than suited him and a cold shudder ran over Harry's back as the word 'torture,' sank into his conscience.

Jason yanked his arm free of Piper, he whipped around, "I will speak for myself, what you disclose is up to you," he announced and turned back to face Snape.

Jason's eyes were developing a worrying golden glow and there was electricity sparking around his fingertips when he spoke.

"Have you ever been impaled by a javelin, straight through the stomach?" He asked dangerously, his voice nothing but a low growl. 

"Have you ever been threatened by a god? Have you ever been kidnapped? Has anyone ever stolen 8 months of your memory? Have you ever had to fight a titan, knowing everyone you cared about will die if you fail?" He counted down with such sinister force behind his words that Harry was certain no one would question him again. 

"Have you ever led your friends into battle, knowing some of them will not return?" he added, slowly advancing.

"When all of that has happened to you, then you can question my integrity again," his voice turned hard and cold, all anger seeping out, "Before then, I demand that you speak to me eye to eye," he warned.

Jason took a few deep breaths before he added much more calmly, "And just so you know, compared to the other six, I think I've gotten off pretty easy."

Harry's heart was beating heavily in his chest. No wonder these seven were clad in scars. If only half of their stories were true they could easily overshadow anybody else in the Order other than maybe Mad-Eye. Harry hoped they would teach him, even as the frustration about Snape's attitude crept up his skin.

Snape assessed Jason cooly, "I don't doubt it will be an interesting school year with you in my potions class, Mr.Grace," and turned towards Percy instead. Harry had the odd impression that Jason had either just passed some kind of test or he had become Snape's new most hated student. Possibly both. 

"Your prophecy, now," spat Snape, "then you shall go on with what your friend called the benefit of the doubt." From Snape's lips, the word 'friend' sounded like poison. 

Percy rolled his eyes and scoffed, "what kind of prophecy would you like to hear? We have them in different lengths and applying to different group constellations. Pick any three of us and your chances are 75% that there has been a Prophecy about that specific trio."

Snape ignored his tone, "you mentioned two great prophecies, they should do."

Percy tilted his head, "Fine. But I will not explain them."

He cleared his throat, "The first one goes; a half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen again all odds, and see the world in endless sleep, the heroes soul cursed blade shall reap, a single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze.

Harry had listened carefully throughout the entire meeting. Now was his time to say something, or otherwise, he didn't doubt they would really get no explanation at all. "Whose prophecy was that?" He asked carefully.

Snape huffed with indignation, "Potter, as always you do not know when to simply keep your mouth shut." 

Harry ignored him, so did Percy who regarded him with kind interest.

"Mine," said Percy with a shrug, "I'll explain it to you later if you want to hear it, when the environment is less hostile," he grinned. 

Harry grinned back and thought they might have just struck up a silent agreement of some sort, he just wasn't sure what it was. Snape was fuming but nobody dared interfere.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "and the second more recent great Prophecy, Mrs.Chase?"

Annabeth sighed, then she recited, "Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall, an oath to keep with a final breath, when foes bear arms to the doors of death."

Utter silence followed her words, paired with concentrated faces as everyone present tried to dissever the meaning. Harry had a feeling it was a useless endeavor for anyone who hadn't been a part of it.

McGonagall accepted her answer with pursed lips, "those seven were you, I'm assuming?" 

"Yes, Professor," said Percy, "and to be honest we were wondering how much you can tell us about the prophecy regarding this war.  
For example, what Oracle did you get it from? That would be a great help to know, and of course the contents of the prophecy itself," he asked maintaining eye contact with McGonagall.

She considered him with open curiosity, "It is quite rare to meet someone with precise ideas about the unprecise art of prophecy. All we know is that the prophecy has been issued a long time ago by a seer named Syga Vander."

"You don't know what it says?" Clarified Percy carefully, one eyebrow raised. 

There was uncomfortable shifting throughout the room. It had been a sore spot for a long time that they didn't know the prophecies actual contents. Harry hadn't paid it much mind until now, he had figured what happened, happened and knowing ahead of time wouldn't help him. 

The idea that there was a prophecy about him just made this whole nightmare even more tangible and he could really deal without it. But know the need to know was spreading under his skin like a terrible itch. The seven seemed convinced that it might help him prepare and if that was the case he couldn't take his chances.

McGonagall sighed, "It is our law that a prophecy can only be claimed by the person it was issued to, once they are old enough."

Harry perked up at that, 'how old was old enough?' He thought, there must be a reason she hadn't said the precise age. What if he could already claim the prophecy and nobody told him? Surely somebody would have told him. Unless what it said could make him more eager to act. Unless it might make him less controllable. He glanced at Dumbledore whos face showed no emotion.

"All prophecies are recorded and not passed on in person?" Asked Hazel.

"Indeed. Is the identity of the seer of any help to you?" Asked McGonagall in her usual exasperated teacher voice. All eyes were on Hazel.

"Possibly, we need to check in with our people back at camp. We have records of all seers from all oracles of the past three thousand years. If she is one of ours, we will find her," she announced with confidence and a note of pride.

This Camp sounded like a fascinating place if it had a history as old as Hogwarts itself. Harry tried to imagine what the place must be like, Hazel seemed proud of it, and it sounded as if to the seven it was home. 

Perhaps the kids there argued over their godly parents like kids at Hogwarts argued about their houses. Perhaps they had their own games like Quidditch or Exploding Snap. Perhaps they compared notes on godly power and skillsets just like they did over their magic. 

To think there was another place out there somewhere that was like Hogwarts made him both happy and homesick. It just added another place worth protecting to his list.

"May I ask what it would mean if she was one of your people?" Inquired Lupin.

Hazel answered, "We are suspecting that your world and ours might be connected. If she was one of our people than that would be definite proof that we have the same origins. If that is the case, we can be sure that all of our powers work, which would allow us to plan and prepare," her voice was soft and unsteady but full of conviction.

Carefully she concluded, "It could also mean that the gods might want to help because then it would concern them. Can't hurt to check any lead we have." The last part came out uncertain and hopeful at best.

McGonagall and most others wore tight expressions that implied they would rather not trust the help of gods they didn't believe in. Harry couldn't help but agree, even if the gods existed if they hadn't cared up until now it was unlikely they'd start tomorrow. 

To Harry, it all sounded too familiar. The gods, the ministry, the order. All more concerned with their personal parts to play rather than the whole picture. 

When he looked at Percy, he could only picture the gods with Dumbledores infuriatingly all-knowing expression. Sitting on their thrones scheming and meddling, never revealing why they did what they did. He saw himself in Percy, and he didn't like it at all.

Dumbledore came forth, "I am certain that any connection while more than possible, wouldn't do us any good. It has been a long time since these two worlds might have been connected," he defused.

Leo shook his head, "we are forgetting something really obvious here in terms of connection, Professor. None of us have these Magic Sticks you use and I don't think they would work for us."

"Mr.Valdez has a point," admitted Kingsley, "it crossed my mind too, how are these kids to blend in if they can't do magic?" He looked at Professor Dumbledor quizically who just frowned in return.

Percy half raised his hand, "I have a theory about that. Some time ago, I came in contact with a weapon that had magic that was different but compatible with that of my own weapon-,"

"Your weapon?" Interrupted Professor McGonagall.

Percy smiled and pulled an ordinary ballpoint pen out of his pocket. He uncapped it and it sprang into the form of a giant bronze sword. There was a mystic glow about it and light reflected off the wicked sharp edge. Harry's eyes went wide, it didn't look like the sword of Gryffindor but it gave off the same ancient and powerful aura.

Demonstrating, Percy let his sword rush through the air with practiced aim. It was evident that he knew how to fight with it, he looked outright lethal as if the sword completed him. 

"This is Riptide," he announced, "made from celestial bronze, can cut through anything that isn't a mortal."

Moody looked faintly impressed, everyone else looked mildly horrified, Mrs.Weasley gasped. Harry thought it was at least as cool as the newest nimbus model that had come out this summer.

"To test my theory," Percy declared, "I'd like to switch my sword with the wand of any volunteer. If I'm wrong, nothing will happen, if I'm right the effect will be reversible." 

Nobody moved at first, no good wizard would willingly give up their wand. Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm, "what are you doing?" She whispered.

"Remember the Kanes?" Percy muttered back. Annabeth face lit up, she nodded and backed off.

Based on her initial reaction, Harry guessed that the Demigods were as attached to their weapons as the wizards to their wands. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry stood up.

Hagrid tried to reach for him, instantly there were protests all around. Nobody seemed to think it was a good idea but Harry didn't care. He made his way to the front of the room, squeezing past chairs and people. He didn't look for anybody's approval. 

Hermione was hastily muttering to Ron with concern, McGonagall and some others were trying to get Dumbledore to act. He had the faint impression that the Headmaster had said something, but if so he couldn't hear it. Swallowing heavily he gripped his wand tightly.

"You are certain your experiment won't alter my wand in any way?" He asked, his voice sounded dry even to his own ears.

Up close the light glistened almost blindingly of the sword, there where symbols etched in its side that Harry couldn't dissever. Possibly greek.

Percy regarded him with honesty and mutual respect, "to the best of my knowledge," he answered. 

It felt weird to willingly do so, but like in a trance Harry flipped his wand around and handed it to Percy, handle first. At the same time, Percy offered him the handle of his sword. It was an equal trade, they both felt it.

Percy hesitated, "it might be a tad unpleasant if it works," he warned.

All the muttering died down, nobody had wanted this to happen but now that they couldn't stop it, they too felt the importance of the moment. Anticipation filled the air.

Harry's fingers closed around the hilt of the sword, it was warm to his touch and heavy and he almost imagined he could feel it humming. Simultaneously, Percy took his wand from his hand. 

For one loaded second nothing else happened, then the pain flared up in his arm. Hearing Percy gasp next to him he knew they were experiencing the same thing.

It was an awful burning sensation that started where he touched the metal and flared through his entire body. It was a pain like he hadn't felt it since that night on the graveyard. Sweat beaded his forehead. All he saw was Cedric's face, eyes wide with panic as he fell. The cold air of that graveyard filled his lungs, suffocating him with guilt and fear. 

As quickly as it had begun the pain was over, he grunted in relief. But that awful voice stayed, ringing in his head, 'kill the spare' over and over again. Breathing shakily the kitchen of Grimmauld Place 12 gradually reappeared before his eyes.

The concerned faces of his friends, his godfather, Hagrid, all the people he trusted, and a few more he was at least supposed to trust, swam before his eyes. His knees were a little wobbly but he couldn't afford to appear anything but steady right now. Hoping he hadn't said anything he took another deep breath.

Swallowing his nerves and the pain, he looked over at Percy who was paler than before. Percy appeared shaken but was regained his composure quickly. Annabeth had one hand on his shoulder in silent support. She mumbled something that sounded like, 'it wasn't that bad last time.'

Only then did it occur to Harry that the sword in his hand had shrunk, it was lighter too.

He looked down and saw a slim, silver blade with a blood-red hilt. Embellished in the hilt was the golden head of a lion, it hummed pleasantly in his grip.

Harry changed it to his other hand, the weight and balance were perfect. Even without knowing anything about weapons he could tell that. Swinging it experimentally he felt as if the sword was leading him and not the other way around.

Percy no longer held Harry's wand either. It was a wand he was holding, but it glowed bronze like his sword had just minutes ago. It was slightly longer than the average wand and there were dark blue veins running through the bronze metal. The wand was as extraordinary as the sword Harry was holding. Percy stared at in awe mirroring that on Harry's face.

Percy carefully lifted the wand and pointed it at a small red stone Hazel had somehow produced. He flicked the wand and the stone skittered across the room. Hazel summoned it before anyone could pick it up. Mild panic showed in her eyes when several people bent down to pick it up. It flew back into her hand.

"I suppose I need some practice," shrugged Percy. 

Jason stared at Harry with a startling smile, "doesn't look like he needs practice," he gestured at Harry sounding impressed, "And FYI that's a Gladius. A roman sword. Bite it, Jackson," he said good-naturedly.

Percy examined the blade with knowing eyes, "its neither celestial bronze nor imperial gold. But the wand turned into celestial bronze, I can feel it," he said, ignoring Jason's comment in favor of more crucial aspects of this new development. 

Holding the gladius simply felt right to Harry, it came as naturally to him as flying on a broom. The memory of Cedric was rapidly fading, strength radiated from the blade and seeped through his skin like chocolate after a Dementor attack.

All around him, the members of the Order had stood up, regarding him and Percy with fear, surprise or awe. 

Then the flooding of questions began and Harry knew it was going to be a long evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay people just a warning, its 3.00 am for me rn, I'm pretty much dead so this isn't proof read as throughly as my previous chapters. I might go back and change some things tomorrow if I have the time.
> 
> As announced in the comments below the last chapter, I am putting Percy's Hogwarts house up for majority vote. I will announce one chapter before the voting is over.
> 
> Please tell me, do you think Percy is a Gryffindor or a Slytherin?


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12, Leo

Once the Percy and Harry show was over, the formality of the whole ordeal began to fade. 

Leo watched as wizards of all ages and sizes flocked to Percy, Annabeth, and Jason who they had deemed believable. Piper tried her best to help. 

A giant bearded guy pulled Harry away, who was still holding a silver gladius. Leo had to admit, this wasn't how he had pictured the chosen one. Then again, he too wasn't how most people would picture a chosen one. 

Harry did have that underlying power to him, and holding a sharp blade he was beginning to fit the picture. Nonetheless, at the moment he was far more worried about Percy.

Percy was plotting something, he could see it. Annabeth and Piper saw it too judging by how they glanced at Percy. Leo frowned and wondered what he had missed. 

The old wizard with the absurdly long grey beard watched the scene with discontent and Leo couldn't shake the feeling that something hadn't gone the way it was supposed to. 

Leo decided to keep a close eye on him, something about the guy threw him off. The way he had wanted to stop Percy and Harry from trading weapons like he wanted the seven to remain without the ability to match up to his own people by denying them the same power. He wanted to keep them small. 

That wasn't all there was. Leo spent years on the run from one terrible foster home to the next. He knew how someone looked who suffered at the hands of the people they lived with. Harry was way too skinny, his eyes were haunted, he cleared his throat so often Leo figured the guy hadn't talked that much in a long time. 

Perhaps he was interpreting too much into this. There was no way a man like Albus Dumbledore would not have noticed if the chosen one his war effort was relying on was in a situation like that. Unless he had a reason not to act.

Darkness clouded over his thoughts. Studying the headmaster, he followed Hazel and Frank to the back of the room. Fred and George were leading them away from all the turmoil and Leo didn't mind. He needed space to think and maybe a few scraps of celestial bronze to help him concentrate.  
________________________________________  
Jason

Unsure whether or not to regret his recent outburst, Jasons let himself be dragged along. It wasn't even that he was mad on his own behalf at the guy's disrespect, it was how he treated his friends. His friends, who had literally gone through Tartarus, should be the last people on the planet to deal with such ridiculous accusations.

He knew they could have coped without him and that it hadn't helped them make a good first impression but nobody got to speak to his friends like that. Ever.

Now he and Piper were being bombarded with questions. 'Have you ever met the gods?' 'How high can you fly' 'how old were you on your first quest' and so on. It just didn't stop.

He answered everything like in trance, Piper tried her best to divert some of the attention by demonstrating her Charmspeak. It worked for a while.

Percy and Harry had to pass their weapons around, which neither one of them was happy about. Especially the old headmaster seemed interested in how that had been possible. Jason assumed the old man was rarely surprised by anything, but this he hadn't anticipated.

________________________________________  
Hazel

They found five empty chairs next to a pretty, young woman with purple hair and the scariest man Hazel had ever encountered.  
She tried not to stare but the man wasn't so polite, his one magical eye darted between her Frank and Leo but his human eye fixated on her in a worrying manner. He had more scars than any demigod, he was missing one leg and a part of his left ear. 

Hazel looked away, only to find the woman beaming at Frank so brightly it was equally as frightening as the man's stare. 

Leo had secluded himself from them and was talking to the twins while tinkering with some metal. "So what's that headmasters' deal?" She heard him ask with an unusual edge to his voice.

So no help from him, she sighed and glanced at Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper, who were doing a lot worse than she at the moment. Still, she was almost tempted to excuse herself and go help them, just to escape the two in front of her. Her conscience forbade her from doing so with a pointed reminder of how incredibly rude that would be.

The awkward silence stretched on as neither party was sure what to say when Hazel saw Ginny making her way towards them. Thank the gods. Out of all the Weasleys she liked Ginny by far the most, she was nice but not shy and her confidence and kindness made her a wonderful presence to be around.

Just before Ginny sat down, the purple-haired woman could apparently no longer stand the silence, "I'm Tonks," she introduced herself and instantly launched into a long-winded explanation of something.

She spoke so fast, Hazel wasn't sure what she was saying until eventually she turned to Frank and as they watched, her smiling mouth turned into the snout of a cat and back. Only then began her words to make sense to Hazel.

Tonks was talking about Animagi and what other kinds of shapeshifters there were and how it was totally unfair that only Animagi gained recognition. She seemed fascinated with Frank and Hazel smiled, the positive attention couldn't hurt him. Tonks all at once seemed a lot less uncomfortable to be around and Hazel relaxed.

She thought she saw Frank smile but didn't have time to ponder it.

Ginny who was now sitting next to her grinned at Tonks, "don't forget to breathe," she told her, and turned to the man sitting across from Hazel. "Moody, you need to stop staring like that. I told you before, it's rude."

Clearly Ginny didn't care whether she sounded polite or not and Hazel admired that about her. Frank and Tonks were now deep in conversation, comparing their experience and tricks. 

"Sorry," grunted Moody, "you are a daughter of Pluto you said?" He asked tonelessly but didn't wait for her to answer. "His Greek equivalent is Hades, the God of the dead. But you knew that already."

Hazel tried not to grimace, he really didn't waste any time with pleasantries. She wasn't sure what he wanted her to answer, so she only said, "yes," in a small voice. 

He seized her up and down and then to her surprise he firmly planted his hand on her shoulder, "You know kid, any good Auror knows death is part of life. It gets us all eventually and there is nothing wrong with that," his scarred face twisted into a smile, "I have to know, I came close to it more times than I can count, after a while it loses its stigma," he declared and Hazel got what he was trying to say.

She smiled at him and nodded, "Death isn't the worst that can happen to a person. Death can be good." She didn't know what an Auror was but she didn't need to. This man as scary as he looked, was just a man and he didn't judge her. 

He didn't think she was weird or unusual. After years at Camp Jupiter, where everyone other than Frank tried to avoid her before she became a hero, it was nice to know. Hazel was really starting to like the wizards.

The next half an hour or so she spent contently listening to Moody's stories of how he had caught countless dark wizards and traded some of her tales in return. Ginny sat with them, listening intently, asking Hazel what New Orleans had been like and how her metal powers worked. It didn't feel like an interrogation and she was glad.

After a while, she glanced at Frank and Tonks who were already discussing ways to stay in contact. Moody and Ginny followed her gaze.

"You remind me of her," admitted Moody, "you look like you couldn't hurt a fly, just a nice girl with an unusual talent, but really there is more to you and you know it."

Hazel didn't know what to say, she blushed and fanned her face. Moody had mentioned Tonks a few times before. He spoke of her as one would speak of a daughter, and she felt as if being compared to her was a huge compliment coming from him. She mumbled her thanks.

Ginny turned to her, "you know, I've been wondering, you seem to like Frank, does he know...?" She trailed off. 

Hazel looked at her with astonishment, "that I like him? I would hope so, we've been dating for half a year now."

Ginny's eyebrows rose, "oh, sorry, you two are really not of the public sort," she grimaced and Hazel giggled.

Even if Ginny had misunderstood something here, it was nice to know she had someone she could talk to like a normal friend. "It's okay, I suppose we really haven't been all that obvious," she told Ginny. Moody looked severely uncomfortable.

Fred and George joined them, Leo had apparently been taken aside by one of the teachers. Hazel hoped it wasn't the slimy-looking one Annabeth had accused of being a spy. 

Ginny turned to her brothers, "did you know Hazel and Frank are a thing?" She blurted and Hazel suppressed the urge to bang her head on the table.

Moody announced he needed to talk to Kingsley about something, whoever that was, and left her to her demise.

________________________________________

Percy

After yesterday and hearing about the school, they'd be going to, Percy had been waiting for the nightmarish part of their quest to begin. This was all just way too calm, a boarding school with secure borders? An entire Order of adults wanting to keep them out of harm's way? Talk about the world being turned upside down.

There was some kind of double game being played here and he didn't like it at all. Being kept in the dark like that, he felt the manipulation that would follow creeping on. 

Had he been a few years younger he would have fallen for it. Right after his first quest maybe, then he would have jumped at any scrap of information and made himself easy to play. But not anymore, two could play a game. 

His sneaking suspicions solidified the instant he touched Harry's wand. How it was possible he could only guess but for a few terrible seconds, he saw what Harry must have seen. Felt what Harry must have felt. 

A young man, not much older than Harry, wearing a ripped yellow shirt. Beaten and bloody but for some reason also happy. Sure of himself, of his victory. He looked at Harry with trust and friendship. He was handsome in a way that felt vaguely familiar to Percy but he had no time to think about it. The man's eyes went wide, his lips parted in horror. 

The most terrible voice Percy had ever heard rung over the graveyard, 'kill the spare,' it drawled. Inconvenienced, uncaring and in a surge of power.

A flash of green light and the world stopped turning. Percy knew he was seeing through Harry's eyes, that the scene was long past. Yet he wanted nothing more than to rush over, to help. In slow motion he saw him fall, eyes wide open but the light behind them had vanished. 

Blinding pain washed over him, he knew he was yelling, maybe the name of the boy he didn't know, as cold terror filled him. He struggled against who or whatever was restraining him, he wanted to reach his friend to try and revive him but something told him it would have been impossible anyway. 

He didn't know how wizards killed, but Harry did. And Harry was certain his friend had died. He was alone on that graveyard, surrounded by enemies. He felt the burning in Harry's lungs, the ache in his chest as if they were his own.

It was like a Demigod dream, but worse. When he came back to himself he wasn't aware of how much time had passed or whether he had said something. It couldn't have been too long since the crowd in front of them wasn't freaking out. He felt sick, he wanted to leave, to get away from the noise, but he stood his ground. 

There it was, the inevitable cold truth he had been waiting for. The real game. 

The dim light felt blinding, the colors to rash, reality swam before his eyes. This part he had expected, it was like meeting the Kane siblings all over again. His world expanded, he saw more clearly, but getting adjusted to it was painful.

Harry needed his help. Needed the help of all seven of them, not because he couldn't do it on his own but because the pure injustice of what was happening here deserved more than one Hero amending it. This shouldn't go unnoticed and he'd make sure it wouldn't. 

They would stomp over their enemy with such force, he wouldn't know what was coming for him until he stood in the ruin of his plans, facing them.

For his friends' sake, he was sorry. They seemed comfortable with the wizards and enjoyed the idea of a regular school year, of an easy quest. Percy would have to burst their bubble, they had a lot of work ahead of them. But first, he needed to talk to Harry.

When he looked around, he supposed most of the people here could be trusted but certainly not all. Harry's wand had by now been returned to Percy. Harry in turn, still had Riptide.

He itched to switch them back right now, but something told him that wouldn't be clever. He couldn't be sure that the vision he had gotten from Harry was a one-time thing and he wasn't even sure Harry was aware of what had happened. If he was really unlucky, which he usually was, then Harry had seen one of his memories.

Impatiently he waited for the meeting to end so the real meeting could begin. Praying that no one would ask to see their weapons be returned to their original shape he stuck to the back of the room as much as he could.

It felt like hours until the headmaster announced he had to leave for the day. Most of the order, thank the gods, took that to mean that the meeting was over. It annoyed Percy how little information it had generated but it was better than nothing.

Mr.Wealey with the help of Ron, Fred, George, and Lupin levitated the kitchen table back in place. 

One after the other the members of the Order of the Pheonix said their goodbyes. That greasy bastard who called himself a teacher vanished as soon as Dumbledore did and Percy had the impression he wasn't the only one who disliked him.

Once those two were gone the atmosphere turned much more comfortable. The conversations turned lighter and friendlier, the questioning quieted down. 

Mrs.Weasley invited a few people to stay for dinner, one of whom Percy learned was Harry's godfather. Another, a giant bearded guy with a friendly smile, apparently worked at Hogwarts.

She also tried to convince the ministry official with the name Kingsley to stay, who declined politely insisting he still had work. Percy carefully noted all of these names for later use. The Weasleys were clearly the heart of the Order, knowing who they trusted couldn't hurt.

In the end, there were three people staying for dinner additionally to the ones currently living at Grimmauld Place; Sirius, Tonks, and Hagrid. That guaranteed little space around the dinner table but after the crowds of the day, it felt almost spacious.

Dinner was the most relaxed any of them had been all day and Percy decided that talking to Harry could wait a little longer after all. The guy looked like he had been reunited with his family after months on his own and Percy didn't want to ruin it for him. Now that most of the guests were gone it was easy not to feel so on edge anymore.

His odd vision wasn't the only thing they needed to talk about, Percy remembered. He had also promised to reveal Camp Half-Blood via Iris Messaging as the ultimate proof. He doubted that it was still necessary but he was a man of his word.

Once the table was cleared, Percy took a deep breath, "are you ready for the next thing out of the ordinary?" He asked the united wizards, they looked at him with confused expressions.

"Those of you who were here yesterday, I promised I'd find a way to show you our Camp. I can do that today if it's not too much after everything else. But it would have to be within the next hour," he announced.

The wizards seemed excited, only Hermione tilted her head with a frown, "why do we only have an hour?"

Percy pushed aside the dusty curtains on one window, "because we need sunlight," he explained, "and water."

Frank freed the other window. Annabeth brought over the biggest pot she could find, filled with water. The wizards watched them with interest, Fred and George jokingly described how they imagined Camp would look like the ruin of an old temple. 

Eventually, everyone was seated facing the window, the pot with water on the ground in front of them. Percy sat down on the floor right in front of the pot so the others could watch over his head. 

It took hardly any effort to make the water rise in a rectangular shape like a TV-screen. The thin wall of water in front of the window created the rainbow effect they needed. Ginny watched in fascination and Hermione carefully pressed her flat hand against the water as a test.

Harry commented that he didn't know any big soccer match was on today, only Hermione and the Half-Bloods laughed. 

"Annabeth will you do me the honors," he grinned.

She stepped forward, the water casting beautiful specks of rainbow to dance over her face, "you're just asking me because you know that I think the incantation sounds stupid," she complained. 

"I'd never," said Percy with his best fake innocent expression.

She sighed and instead of arguing she flicked a single golden drachma into the water and recited, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. Grover Underwood, Camp Half-Blood, Long Island New York."

The wizards stifled their laughter, thinking for sure the demigods had lost it now or that this was some elaborate prank. But the rainbow flickered and green hills came into view.

Percy's heart did a somersault. He grinned brightly and called, "Grover are you there? Don't freak out man, I have a few friends on my side of the line."

His shaggy half-goat friend came into view. As usual, wearing baggy camo pants but since he was at Camp he hadn't bothered to hide his horns or hooves. Grover stumbled a few steps back to see them better. 

Then he bleated, "Percyyy, it's good to hear from you. But this isn't a social call, it's never just a social call," he said sounding stressed. For emphasis he bit into a tin can he was holding.

"Sorry man, its good to see you though," he said and he meant it. Since Grover had joined the Coven of gloven elders he was rarely at Camp. "Can you give us a tour? The same tour you used to give new Demigods, if that's okay."

Grover began walking downhill, yet he complained, "I don't think Chiron would agree with this," he sighed, "for old times sake," and bleated again. 

In New York, it was just after two in the afternoon. The sun was high up in the blue sky and Percy could almost smell the strawberries. Compared to Camp, everything in England was muted and grey, he thought. 

"Over that hill is the Cave of the Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Dare. To our left are the strawberry fields with which we finance Camp. A little further down past the fields is the canoe lake," Grover recounted his still perfectly memorized speech. 

He moved so they could see the areas he was pointing out while hurrying down the hill. 

"Grover," interrupted Percy, "is Rachel there? If not we need to speak to the Apollo Cabin, once we're done with the tour."

The connection shook unsteadily for a second, then it manifested again. They had reached the foot of the hill. Or rather, Grover had.

"Rachel is not here," he shook his head, "and neither is Will Solace. Can I bring you to another child of Apollos?"  
"Oh by the way, here is the big house, that over there is the dining pavilion and in a second we will walk by the lava wall."

The little creak glistened in the sunlight right behind Grover. Some of Piper's siblings were checking their reflections and gossiping, a few river spirits had joined them and waved at Grover coyly. 

"Lava wall?" Asked all of the wizards at once. Percy ignored them, that was an expected reaction.

"Just take me to whoever is in charge of the Apollo Cabin right now," he told Grover and watched longingly as he passed by the dining pavilion where some of his old friends were having lunch and chatting happily.

He couldn't believe he had only been in England for two days. So much had happened in regard to what he learned that it felt like an eternity.

They reached the lava wall and Grover nervously skirted around it, "the best kind of training a young half-god can get. Either you have the reflexes it takes or you get scorched, in which case you will have them the next time."

A blob of lava sprayed down and ruined the grass next to Grover, who bleated a few curses and jumped zig-zag to the side. He took another bite out of his tin can.

A few Ares kids were climbing the wall. One of them watched Grover curiously and promptly got burned. He yelped and fell back down onto the grass. The guy grunted, got up and knocked his shoulder back into place. Someone in the background called him a Loser.

Hermione scrunched up her nose, "that's barbaric," she decided.

Fred and George retorted, "that's cool," as if they were correcting her.

Grover was about to continue on to the training field and armory when Percy stopped him, "was that Clarisse?" He asked, "if so, remind her for me that she's not supposed to bully other campers, yeah?"

"You can tell me that yourself, Jackson," said a familiar voice and Clarisse appeared behind Grover, strong and mean-looking as always.

She didn't wait for him to answer, instead, she charged the lava-wall at full speed. She leaped up the first third in two jumps, dodged some lava to the side, kicked one of her brothers out of her way and climbed the last bit entirely unbothered by the javelins sticking out of the wall. 

"Show off," yelled Percy, but he doubted that she heard him. She celebrated her victory, both arms raised standing on the top of the wall as if Camp belonged to her.

Grover hastily got going again, avoiding another conversation with Clarisse. He explained the training field and armory shortly and showed them a few different weapons.

"There is a perfect weapon for every hero. While they can fight with other weapons, there is always one they are most effective with. Some of them have magical properties, some have been forged yesterday, others are thousands of years old. Celestial bronze doesn't decay so it makes no difference."

A small boy was polishing weapons, Percy didn't recognize him at first but Leo did, "hey Harley," he exclaimed over Percy's shoulder.

The boy turned around, dark curls were falling in his eyes and he was definitely the buffest eight-year-old in the history of eight-year-olds. Harley grinned and proudly help up the flame thrower he was holding.

"Leo," he bellowed excitedly, "you are still alive! Look at the flamethrower I built!" Harley bounced up and down with joy over the deadly weapon.

Mrs.Weasley murmured quietly, asking them to convince the boy to put down the weapon but Leo just laughed.

"Great job buddy, you are really getting somewhere with your metalwork. I'm proud of you!" He smiled at his little half brother.

Grover excused them before Harley could ask when Leo would be back, which Percy knew he would because the kid adored Leo. He felt bad about leaving him behind like that but Grover was right, the longer they talked they worse it would be.

Next were the stables. Percy was going to convinced Grover to go in so he could leave a message for Blackjack, but that wasn't necessary.

"As soon as he heard you were on a quest in the UK he rounded up a few buddies and they took off in your direction, just in case you know," Grover informed him.

Ginny looked at him quizically and he took the time to explain that he could talk to horses and that Blackjack was a Pegasi friend of his. Which admittedly still sounded weird to his own ears. 

Percy he was oddly touched that Blackjack cared enough to fly that far for him just in case. He really needed to buy him some Donuts when he got here.

Grover was just explaining the woods and the monsters that lived there when they finally reached the cabins.

"Every god has a cabin at camp for his or her children. The twelve Olympians are the cabins in the front, the other ones have only been added over the last two years," informed Grover.

The seven pointed out their cabins, one after the other. A few of Annabeth's siblings stopped to wish them good luck.

Next they passed the Hades cabin.

Hazel described, "Of course my actual cabin is at Camp Jupiter, where we are divided by legion and not by godly parent, but," she hesitated, "when I stay at the Greek Camp, I stay in the cabin over there," she gestured for the black obsidian building. 

The sunlight reflected off of it. Next to the colorful and light other cabins, it looked even darker and a little too real. Like an oil painting in a colored pencil landscape.

"Isn't that depressing?" Asked Ron with a frown.

Hazel shrugged, "my brother built it himself. Yeah its dark, but the cabins represent the gods they belong to so I suppose it's suitable. As long as Nico is there it feels like home anyways."

Grover strolled through the lanes between the cabins, he passed Ares and Hecate, Piper complained about her Cabin which no one disagreed with. It was awfully pink.

Finally, they reached the Apollo cabin and they were lucky, Kayla was coming their way.

"Grover, talk to her," reminded Percy him hastily.

Kayla's long her was braided, she wore a floppy sun hat and a purple summer dress. Her blinding smile when she saw them could have been that of Apollo himself.

"Kayla," Grover bleated, "they want to talk to you," he informed her and stepped out of the way.

She looked nonplussed but came closer nonetheless, "what can I do for you?"

"We heard that you are in charge of your cabin right now," said Percy, and Kayla frowned, he must have hit a sore spot.

"Have you heard anything from Will? He and Nico were supposed to be back by today, they didn't even tell anyone where they were going," she told them and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

Percy knew she and Will were close and he felt bad for her. That he was about to ask her a favor didn't make it any better.

"I'm sorry but, we haven't heard anything. I'm sure they will be fine, Nico will watch out for him," he promised her.

Feeling that his words were true even as he spoke them he offered her a comforting smile. He didn't know if Nico and Will knew each other well or why they were questing together. But he did know that Nico was reliable and stubborn and would bring anybody back he left with.

Percy scratched his neck, "I know this is awful timing but I have to ask. We are dealing with an old prophecy here and since your father is the god of prophecies..." He trailed off.

Kayla sighed, "shoot," she allowed him.

"Okay so, the name of the seer was Syga Vanda, can you check the records for that name? Any intel on her at all would be great," he hastily summarized before Kayla changed her mind.

She frowned thoughtfully, "I haven't heard that name before. If she was a seer she wasn't a famous one. However, my specialty is medicine, I will have to bring it to my siblings, see if they know anything. If not, I will send a group to check the archives," Kayla complied.

Percy and the others thanked her several times. Then he noticed the suitcase she was dragging behind her, and met her eyes.

Having followed his gaze she answered, "my Dad is picking me up for a two day trip to my cousin's wedding. Couldn't exactly tell her 'I can't come because I am practicing my god-given healing powers over summer'," she shrugged,

"I know, now is a bad time but Will knew I had to leave today. Austin will be Head counselor while I'm gone," she admitted.

Percy tilted his head, "your Dad is picking you up? In his sun chariot?" He asked, and knew that wasn't the right question but the picture stuck to his inner eye. Having ridden Apollos chariot before, he hoped for her sake he was wrong.

Kayla rolled her eyes, "first time I ever heard that. No, my other Dad," she rectified. "And don't worry, I will get your research started before I leave."

She waved at them and with a twirl of her purple sundress she was out of view. Percy somehow had more questions than before. Surely she had meant her step-dad, he thought. Then he remembered how Annabeth was born and turned to face his girlfriend.

Apparently, Annabeth could read minds because all she said was, "don't ask, but yes, biologically her Dad."

He shook his head and accepted it. Weirder things had happened to him and this was none of his business anyway.

Hermione, however, had also caught the comment and didn't let it fly over her head so easily. What followed was a longwinded conversation between her and Annabeth in which Annabeth explained that the gods didn't necessarily have kids the same way mortals did. She conveniently skipped the part about her own birth and Percy didn't blame her.

Eventually, Leo stopped them, with his hands over his ears he told them, "that is exactly the kind of stuff we avoid thinking about." Annabeth and Hermione giggled and dropped the topic.

Grover finished his tour by going past the bonfire pit and listing the few rules Camp had, "and lastly announce if you stay over summer or the cleaning Harpies will eat you," he counted down the fifth rule on his fingers. 

Then he warned them to be careful on their quest and wished them the best from him and Juniper. He reminded them to call every now and again even if they didn't have a reason to, and then the connection broke.

The other wizards had watched so quietly, Percy had almost forgotten they were there. He figured the questions would start up again any second now and carefully let the water rush back into the pot.

Only that he couldn't. He frowned and concentrated but the water wall only shrank a little. One square the size of a regular Laptop still hung in the air before him like an especially stubborn pop-up add. 

The daylight was almost gone now but through the last bits of rainbow a new connection flared up. Percy stopped trying to vanquish the water and instead he watched.

The others must have noticed that something wasn't right because their shifting had stopped. Everyone stared intently at the water. 

"What's going on," asked Piper sounding irritated. 

Percy didn't lift his eyes from the rainbow, "I think someone is trying to call us," he told her. Then the water rippled.

They heard cursing in a mixture of English, Greek and a third language which Percy didn't know. A little further away somebody laughed wholeheartedly. Their voices were unsteady like the sound of a radio to far from its satellite.

Eventually, the connection solidified. "Nico," yelped all of the seven at once when they recognized their friend. 

Hazel and Piper who had been standing off to the side to grant the wizards a good view, rushed forward. They sat down on either side of Percy, the other four also flopped down on the floor to get the best possible perspective.

"Finally, *grazie agli dei," exclaimed Nico, "it took ages to get through to you," he said, sounding exhausted.

*thank the gods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the incredible feedback on the last chapter! I will try to answer to the comments individually soon. Let me just say it makes me so happy to read all of your opinions and replies so thank you!
> 
> In case you didn't comment last time, what do you think, is Percy a Gryffindor or a Slytherin? Its still up for vote.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13, Hazel

Nico's eyes were drooping tiredly and he had a nasty cut on his cheek. His hair was tousled and his complexion was even paler than typical for him. Despite all of that, his lips curled into a tiny smile of success.

"I told you I'd reach them," he yelled over his shoulder. 

Behind him, a forest not unlike the one behind Camp stretched on. The enormous, aged trees caused shadows to dance creepily over the small clearing. Little sunlight made it through. How they had even found a clearing with enough sunlight for an Iris-call, Hazel didn't know. 

It wasn't unusual to find her brother in such a hostile environment, he simply didn't seem to notice the darkness others avoided. What was unusual, however, was the bright blond son of Apollo who came up behind Nico and dropped an arm over her brother's shoulder like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Didn't say you couldn't," said Will, "it was still fun to listen to your crazy muttering," he let him know.

Will didn't look much better than Nico, he too had obviously spent a few days on the run. His lower lip was bruised and he occurred terribly out of place in the dark forest.

"I don't mutter," said Nico plainly.

"Umm guys?" Interrupted Percy, "I don't want to rush you or anything but it doesn't look like the connection is very stable. Are you okay? Do you need help?" He rushed out.

"I was just trying to reach Hazel," complained Nico, "I didn't know I'd have to deal with all of you," he gestured exasperatedly.

Hazel giggled, and the others protested audibly.

Will chuckled, "people skills Nico, remember them," he fake whispered and then turned to face them, "we are mostly okay, just got back from our quest in the underworld yesterday. However, our lord of darkness here says there is a strong death aura over a house somewhere in these woods. We are taking a detour to check it out. I just thought it would be good if someone knows where we are," he shrugged.

"Completely unnecessary," added Nico, "and just so you know, Chiron told us to come after you. We took the shortcut through my Dad's domain and are somewhere in the southwest of England. Hence we called you and not someone at Camp."

Jason looked as puzzled as Hazel felt, "he sent you already? We didn't even ask for reinforcement yet. While we're at it, you should call Kayla."

Will went on, "we're in Wiltshire, that's what the last street sign said at least," and looked around quizically, "I lost track of days. We missed the day to check in at Camp, didn't we?" He cursed.

Nico softly put a hand on his shoulder, affirming him his sister would be fine. The two were a hard to comprehend sight. 'When had they grown so close?' Hazel wondered, her brother didn't let anyone close to him easily.

Will went on curiously, "by the way, Chiron and Reyna agreed that we should come after you so I suppose it's important. Chiron spoke to his contact in England again and he seemed worried about something but he didn't say any more."

Percy, Leo, Piper, and Annabeth exchanged sinister looks like they had a good guess what was up. Jason, Hazel, and Frank were just further confused and irritated.

Nico took over, "Also, my father warned us. He doesn't care much about England but he couldn't ignore that someone there used powerful dark magic to cheat death. We are supposed to investigate."

Jason sighed, "So there is no use in telling you to stay away and stay safe?"

Nico grinned at him, "nope," he said pointedly, "order from Hades himself," and his eyes shone like the black obsidian of his cabin. Hazel thought once more what a strange friendship Jason had with her brother but she was glad about it.

Percy looked around, "is Wiltshire far from here?" He asked the Weasleys, even as Nico started cussing him out, telling him not to dare to come and butch up their quest.

Mr. Weasley looked startled, Ron grimaced in disgust at the name and a bad feeling manifested in Hazel's stomach.

"Wiltshire! What by merlin would you want there? The richer of dark wizards that got away migrated there, after the first war, you know? The Malfoys are a prime example, I've led quite a few raids on their family property there," he asserted and seized them up with evident discontent.

"Nico, you need to stay away from there!" Exclaimed Hazel. "Will, don't let him go there," she pleaded. 

Will apologized, "we both know he will go alone if I don't go with him."

"Who says you're going with me?" Argued Nico, "Hazel, its Dad's orders, I will definitely go."

"So will I," said Will and he sounded offended that Nico even considered going without him. How a son of Apollo could help on a death quest, Hazel wasn't sure, but it was better than knowing her brother was on his own.

"Nico you really need to be careful," warned Percy, "if these are magic folks then you don't know what you're getting into. They have power that matches our own, don't expect some stupid monsters," he sounded alarmed and again Hazel gained the impression that Percy knew more than she did.

Nico just nodded solemnly and before they could shout further warnings at him, the connection broke. 

At the last second, Percy caught the water and prevented it from splashing all over the floor, the rest of them was entirely numb. 

Fred tilted his head, "so Hazels brother looks as scary as he sounds," he joked, everyone else still watched the place where the water screen had been just moments ago.

Hazel forcefully got up and advanced on Mr.Wealey, "who are the Malfoys, and how dangerous are they?" She demanded.

Mr. Weasley blinked furiously, "they are just a pureblood family with a dark past. No one can prove that they are actually involved in anything illegal at the moment," he said deliberately.

Ron scoffed, "it's not like we need proof. A bunch of arrogant, evil death eater scum. The whole lot of them," he said angrily and Hazel wasn't sure she had heard such a long sentence from him before. He always seemed so peaceful.

"Their son is in our year at Hogwarts, you'll see soon enough. He's the worst all of Slytherin has to offer," he ranted on.

"But are they outright dangerous?" Hazel tried again.

"They are cowards, they may dabble with the wrong contacts but they won't risk losing their status until its entirely safe to proclaim that they are siding with you know who," Ron begrudgingly admitted 

"that's why it's so hard to put the ministry up against them," added his father.

Hazel swallowed heavily, she had to believe that these people she didn't know cared more about their status than catching Nico. If it even was them he ran into, she sighed, worrying was no use but she couldn't help herself.

Frank appeared by her side, he pulled her close and gently kissed her cheek. She blushed and felt better instantly. He squeezed her hand, and it was all the support she needed. 

The others got up from their positions on the floor slowly and stretched. Jason huffed unhappily but there was nothing they could do.

Percy tried his best to distract them, "Harry," he said, "I haven't even seen you fight with that thing yet, care for a sparring match?" 

Harry seemed surprised to be addressed, he must have been deep in thought. He hesitated, "sure, just try not to kill me?" He agreed. Percy grinned.

"Seaweed brain, you don't have a weapon right now," reminded him Annabeth lovingly.

"Which is why," countered Percy, "you will give me your dagger."

Annabeth didn't seem to mind but she mused it over, "are you sure that's an even match? You'd still have years of training ahead of him, even if a dagger isn't your chosen weapon."

"Obviously I should go," said Jason, "I have a gladius too, that would be fair."

Annabeth shook her head, "Jason, you've been training since you were two years old. Don't kid yourself. Maybe Piper or Leo?"

"Ouch," said Leo, "I'm not that bad of a fighter you know?

He pretended to have been hit in the heart.

"That may be true, but your main tactic is charge and burn which isn't effective in a Gladius fight," reminded him Annabeth.

Piper interfered, "I'll spar with him. I know that I don't have anything on the rest of you but I could use the distraction. And I know how to handle a Gladius."

The others agreed, Harry seemed a little discontent but he didn't say anything. Jason flicked his coin towards Piper, it turned into his golden blade and she caught it.

"Don't worry, imperial gold doesn't cut mortals," she informed the worried-looking Weasleys. "But we need more space."

They made their way to the living room, the twins promptly pushed most of the furniture to the walls with a quick wave of their wands. Harry seemed to be doubting his decision just a little, but he had enough stored up anger in him to continue on.

They formed a circle around the two, Harry had his chin raised high, Piper was seizing him carefully. 

"You got this, mate," yelled Ron and promptly picked the seat the furthest away from Harry. 

"I'll walk you through it," announced Percy, "take it slow."

________________________________________

Harry

With Percy's commands, it was easy to keep up with Piper at first. Percy would anticipate her moves and Harry would block them. Then Percy would advise him to alter his stance or a hit from a different angle, and Piper would attack again. It went on like that for a view rounds.

Their speed picked up. Harry tried to go for the offense, Piper blocked him. He tried again, anger building up in him.

He knew none of what was happening was Piper's fault but it felt good to mindlessly thrash at something. He realized the pretty girl could take it and didn't try to hold back any longer.

It was obvious she could have disarmed him in a minute if she had wanted to, but she let the game continue and Harry was thankful for it. He no longer heard or saw the rest of the room, just the sound of metal against metal and the dark choppy hair twirling around his opponent when she danced away again.

The spiel continued and he was aware that the seven were watching him carefully. It didn't matter, nothing did. Percy's voice was in his head telling him what he had to do and following orders for once was wonderfully easy. Piper let him close in, then she'd push him away, over and over. She was a good training partner.

He took a deep breath and caught a glance at his friend's shocked expressions. This wasn't right, he remembered, he wasn't supposed to know how to fight with that weapon. His uncertainty made him stumbled, and Piper would have cut him badly if it weren't for the magical metal.

"Now that's enough," yelled Mrs.Weasley, and rushed toward them, "it might be normal for you kids to fight and train like soldiers but that doesn't make it okay. No fighting in the house, I don't want to see those weapons again," she decided and placed herself between Harry and Piper insistently.

All present teenagers revolted heavily, the seven because they wanted to train and the others because they wanted to watch. Harry's lungs were burning, he still held the gladius tightly, and slowly resentment started creeping upon him. 

No wonder Dumbledore didn't trust him, he had no self-control. Had he attacked someone who wasn't as skilled as Piper he could have done serious harm.

Piper smiled at him kindly, she lowered her blade and came closer, "you fought well Harry. Thank you for the match," she spoke softly, "just so you know, you did a lot better than I did when I first started training."

Harry looked up at her, her beautiful color-changing eyes were somehow full of both, respect and sympathy. He turned away, "when did you start with all of this?" 

"Just last year," she answered with a smile, "but it feels like a lot more time went by since then," she admitted wistfully and dropped onto the big plush sofa that was still pressed up against the wall.

The twins saw their chance and simultaneously waving their wands, the couch skittered back into place forcefully. Piper yelped, as she got moved with it and the others snickered.  
Everyone else also sat down in front of the fireplace. 

Percy and Annabeth shared an equally plush armchair, Jason, Frank, and Hazel sat down on the couch with Piper. Across from them, on a second couch sat Leo with the twins and Ginny. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had claimed the remaining three armchairs.

Somehow the room didn't feel crowded and most of the adults had left at one point during the fight. Harry hadn't even noticed until now that they weren't there anymore, he thought perplexed. Only Mrs.Weasley still stood in the doorframe, scolding her children about the dangers of weapons.

He still hadn't had a chance to catch up with his Godfather, Harry thought as he drowned out Mrs.Weasley's shrill voice. Once she had finally quieted down and left, nobody seemed eager to say anything. 

Harry swallowed uncertainly, "you're cabins at Camp look nice," he tried.

Fred and George laughed, "yeah mate, I especially like the one with the barbed wire in front." The others broke out in startled laughter as well and the silence was over.

"That was the Ares cabin," reminded them Frank, but he didn't sound mad. 

"Still better than the Aphrodite cabin," insisted Leo between bursts of laughter, Piper looked like she wanted to disagree but she clearly couldn't.

"All of them were so over the top, other than maybe the Athena one," proclaimed Hermione. Now everyone was complaining.

"That one just looks plain," argued Percy.

Annabeth beamed, "See, Hermione has good taste, I knew my cabin was the best," joked Annabeth and then more seriously, "you know, you remind me of my siblings," she told Hermione who looked flustered.

The twins were laughing even more now. "Good taste?" Snorted George.   
"She willingly spends time with Ron for Merlin's sake," added Fred.

Ron grumbled, Hermione was offended but couldn't defend herself without complimenting Ron. The seven were laughing and Harry felt right at home. It had been a long summer but he was finally back. 

"I hang out with Ron too, you know?" He reminded the twins, which was his best friend duty to do.  
"And Harry is the chosen one!" Exclaimed Ron like he had just won the argument.  
"Which means he gets a pass for bad taste," said the twins.

Hermione decided to change the subject, "the other campers we saw, do you know them well?" She asked.

Percy laughed, "some more than others. Clarisse isn't as mean as she looks, even though she'd hate that I'm telling you that. She is a daughter of Ares, the insults are part of her personality but she would fight for anyone at Camp if need be," he explained.

"And that kid with the flamethrower?" asked Ginny, sounding genuinely curious. Harry had to admit that kid was an interesting sight.

Leo proudly announced that Harley was his little half-brother and one of the youngest campers, "one of our most promising talents," he insisted, "Harley is still so little but everyone loves him and he designs the best death races. His inventions are pretty impressive too, even for a Hephaestus kid."

Hermione gaped, "you mean to tell me he actually built that flamethrower himself?"

At the same time, Ron asked, "what's a death race?"

Leo patiently answered them both and explained the annual death races. Which included; flying chainsaw blades, and who would have thought; flamethrowers. They did indeed sound very deadly. 

Percy chimed in to explain a game they called 'capture the flag', which was like muggle capture the flag but more deadly. The others listened intently and once the Demigods were done, Ron enthusiastically explained Quidditch to them in turn.

Jason was interested in Quidditch and sounded eager to try it. Percy declined, saying it sounded like fun but Jason's father had a nasty habit of blasting Demigods he didn't like out of the sky, so he had to be careful.

Harry absentmindedly wondered if Jasons Dad had been having a bad day that one time in his third year when he almost got hit by lightning. He told them so, and Jason looked rather sheepish.

"I've only met my Dad a handful of times, and he at least considered killing me during all but one," he informed him.

That sounded pretty sad to Harry who had grown up imagining what it would be like to have a Dad. Never when he imagined that had he considered what it would be like to have a father who just didn't care. Who could spend time with his children but chose not to. Maybe that was worse than not having one at all.

Hermione seemed to be thinking something similar, "do none of your parents ever just visit you for no reason," she inquired.

"No," answered all of the seven. That killed the mood, Harry grimaced and tried to think of something else to say.

Before he could come up with something, Ginny asked bluntly, "Jason, is it true that you joined your Camp when you were only two years old?" 

Jason shrugged, "I actually always thought that was lucky for me. I don't remember giving up my home and normal life like the others do. I've always had one life, and one only," he sounded like he meant it.

Harry didn't know what to make of it, "Are there many Campers who just never go home or don't have another home?" He implored, hoping it didn't sound cold.

"Just a handful," answered Annabeth, "I'm one of them. So are Will Solace and Clarisse La Rue," hesitantly she added, "many of the old year-rounders died in one of the wars."

Harry felt the conversation turn more serious at once. The temperature dropped and they all leaned in a little closer, well aware that the adults wouldn't like them discussing these matters. However, to Harry it seemed necessary to talk about their experiences, ignoring it didn't make a war go away.

Annabeth went on, "Many of the year-rounders stay because their powers are too strong. Because they attract too many monsters and want to keep their loved ones safe. Will for example," she told him patiently.

"The Stolls from the Hermes cabin," added Percy. 

"Nissa and Harley from my cabin," agreed Leo.

The warmth radiating from the fireplace didn't reach any of them. Harry watched as Percy's eyes clouded over with what he presumed were bad memories.

"Will didn't strike me as that powerful," questioned Jason with a thoughtful frown.

Annabeth seemed to take offense to that, "He is the head of the Apollo cabin for a reason. Will has incredible healing powers from his Dad," she insisted.

"He was a field medic in both final battles and saved my life in the first one," there was a cold edge to her voice.

Harry thought back to the blonde teenager he had seen in the water earlier. He trusted Annabeth when she said he saved her life, but he didn't look like a soldier of any kind. 

No teenager should be a field medic in the first place but it did prove that if they had to, they could do it, Harry thought stubbornly.

"Of course, healing powers are rather unlucky because they make monsters extra aware of him but they don't help him fight," Annabeth reflected.

Then she sighed, "We spent the last entire year questing, so I just keep thinking of...," she looked at Percy for help.

"Of the ones who died in the first war, who we knew particularly well. Annabeth grew up with them after all," Percy finished for her.

Harry had to inquire who had been at which Camp for how long, and once he had that sorted out the others continued.  
Turns out Leo and Piper really were new to all of this as well.

Percy sounded bitter when he dwelled on, "The ones who stay all year naturally are the ones who train the most, they are the leaders the others look up to, and the ones who take the most dangerous posts in battle because they are the most experienced," he explained and tried to keep the quiver out of his voice.

Annabeth was leaning against his shoulder with a sad expression, obviously glad that Percy was doing the talking.

"For example Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard. I am sure you have heard their names around camp before," he looked at Leo and Piper, "they were the head counselors before you," he said, sounding sore.

Glancing at Piper he added, "maybe you have noticed that Clarisse La Rue never walks by the Aphrodite cabin?"

Piper unhappily agreed, "I wondered what that was about, but I was too afraid to ask. She always takes a detour."

Percy nodded like he had expected that answer, "Silena was her best friend. She died uniting camp on the battlefield by impersonating Clarisse."

A look at their faces must have told Percy that they didn't know why that was of such significance, "She, a child of Aphrodite, lead the Ares cabin into battle and got killed doing so," he emphasized the cabin names and Harry understood.

So perhaps the cabins of the gods were a little like the Hogwarts houses, after all, he mused. The children argued, to the extent where they would only follow someone from their own house even in the direst situations. To unite them all, the leaders had to be united.

"Clarisse arrived just in time to see Silena die. She went into a blind rage and killed the beast that had gotten Silena. With her bare hands, no armor, no backup," Percy ended, and the way he said it made Harry think that it must have been terrifying and mighty all at once.

Annabeth solemnly put in, "She and Beckendorf and many others may be dead but there are still traces of their lives all around us at Camp. I think it's important that we remember their names whenever we have the chance."

Perhaps it was an architect's way of thinking. Built a monument to the dead, even if it's in your head, just built something that lasts, pass it on. Even if they'd never see it.

Another name, another dead friend. With each person they named he wondered who'd make out of this war. Who wouldn't make it? Would they follow him in battle? He never wanted to find out.

In the same sad voice laced with pride, Percy told the next story, "The Hephaestus cabin was cursed for a long time after Beckendorf sacrificed himself," he began.

"He planted a bomb on an enemy ship with hundreds of monsters on it. But he got caught before he could flee, instead of calling it quits he finished his mission and blew up the ground he stood on," Percy told them.

He sounded so bitter that Harry instinctively knew that the death of Charles Beckendorf had been personal for him.

Jason tried to comfort him, "He died a hero's death," he said and the words 'but he still died' hung unspoken between them.

It had long gone dark outside, he had lost track of what time it was but it didn't matter. For the night there was no war raging, just memories in the dimly lit living room. Save, but not comfortable.

"I'm still wary of the Hermes cabin," confessed Percy. "I didn't know Luke as well as Annabeth did but he was my mentor. He was the one who thought me how to use my sword. When a battle gets really bad I sometimes still hear his voice in my head, telling me how to fight," he rushed the words out with hatred and irritation in his voice that didn't suit the memory of a dead friend.

Hermione had noticed the strange tone as well, she inquired, "Isn't that good? I mean, your friend is still helping you in a way," thoughtfully she added, "isn't that better than oblivion?"

Percy sighed so deeply it sounded like it came straight from his soul, "He betrayed us before he died and tried to kill Annabeth and me several times over the cause of a few years."

The solemnity of the atmosphere vanished with that one sentence. They were met with horrified and shocked faces and Harry couldn't help but to think of the traitor Pettigrew. Anger flared up in his chest.

"Oh," said Hermione, for a lack of better words. Her face was mortified.

Percy took pity on her, "He got lost in the dark end. The gods failed him, he was bitter and rightfully so. He got lost in his fantasies of revenge and missed the point of no return," he explained, which didn't make it any better.

"In his last minutes, he came to clarity and regretted his choices. He also sacrificed himself to make up for it," he clarified finally.

"That's awful," said Ron with emphasis.  
"That's war," retorted Percy coldly.

Ginny eyed Annabeth, "you mentioned his name before. Yesterday, when you told us how you got to camp."

Harry was once again mad to have missed that conversation. Annabeth warily scratched her head.

"I like to pretend that the guy who protected me when my own father wouldn't, who took me off the streets for no other reason than to help, who lived with Thalia and me on the run for months," her voice broke and she took a deep breath.

"That he wasn't the same guy as the one who poisoned Percy, who tricked me into holding up the sky so a titan would be free, who used me to lure in my friends, who stabbed Percy, who let an evil titan possess him, and killed so many," she got quieter as she spoke.

"Its easier to believe these two were different people, because in a way they were," she concluded, the conviction was back in her voice.

Ginny was deathly pale, "after all you had been through with him, how could he do that? How can you trust anyone if even being on the run together for months means nothing?" She asked wide-eyed suddenly sounding so very young.

What she was really asking was, how do you fight a war when you can't trust your own people. Harry got it, he felt the same.

Percy shook his head, "had the gods trusted Luke more, none of this would have happened. We need trust, if we start turning people away just in case they turn against us, we have already lost," he launched into a speech.

"If you want some genuine advice, don't give up on people. If someone sounds bitter or resigned, try to help even if it's hard with everything else going on. One ally more or less can determine the outcome of a war," he said, sounding so convinced that Harry almost believed him.

"We have lost or almost lost too many people, we lost Luke. We almost lost Silena, we even almost lost Nico and they all determined important junctures in our fates. Had one of them decided differently when it mattered most, we would all be dead," he ended dryly.

They were all shocked into silence, somehow these stories of a war that was long over struck their nerves. It made everything so much more real, it somehow hit Harry worse than the existence of the Order of the Pheonix.

Franks kind eyes searched the room, "we are here to try our best to prevent that from happening to you, you know? But if it does, be prepared because we weren't," he warned them.

Harry swallowed heavily and nodded. They would prepare. If it was all they could do, they would prepare.

________________________________________

Jason

The silence stretched on and he really wished he could spare the wizards the pain.

Then he felt several pairs of eyes on him, he sighed, it was a common occurrence ever since he got to England but it still irritated him. At first, he figured it was because he was a Demigod but now he couldn't shake the feeling that they were staring at him more than at the others. 

Eying Ginny he hoped to get a straight forward answer from her because he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Ginny, why on earth does everyone keep staring at me like I'm a ghost?" He asked politely.

Ginny grimaced and looked away, so did half the other wizards, "sorry," she said.

"So you're not denying it?" Countered Jason.

She sighed and leaned back in her seat, before she answered, Percy did.

Sounding strangled Percy told him, "it's because you look like a friend of theirs who died. Not one hundred percent but similar enough," his voice was pained and he didn't make eye contact with anyone.

The wizards sat up straight, for that matter so did the Demigods. Jason didn't know how to feel. Out of all the answers he had expected that wasn't one of them.

"Who told him?" Asked Harry with resignation.

Percy looked like he had never been so uncomfortable in his life. "No one told me," he admitted, "I need to tell all of you something. I figured you'd all find out eventually so I'd rather get this over with."  
_______________________________________

Frank

If Harry hadn't been upset before, he was once Percy was done telling his tale.

Harry seemed uncertain who to be mad at and Percy had apologized about a million times while Annabeth still pondered how that was even possible.

Eventually, Harry came to a decision. His expression closed off, and his green eyes full of stormy anger, he took a shaky breath. 

"You saw what I saw," he repeated, turning to Percy, "do you understand, after seeing that, do you understand how badly I need all of this to end? It's not like I have a choice, it has to be me. But I'll make it count, I can't afford to lose," he ground out.

Percy swore, "I do understand. You have no idea how much," he promised and Harry nodded. 

They were the leaders, they called the shots and everyone else knew it. From that moment forth, Frank understood, they had each other's trust. Unconditionally and truly, all Demigods for all Wizards and the other way around. No one would stand in their way.

Frank was oddly reminded of the times at Camp Jupiter when a new member was included in the legion. They had just formed a new legion, he thought, and it was fine by him.

Now that they finally had an agreement, the feeling that they could do something began to settle in and the atmosphere improved. They all relaxed a little.

For tonight, only one problem remained; they didn't know what would happen when Harry and Percy switched their weapons back. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A link to a picture of the Wiltshire forest, because yes, I actually checked where Malfoy Manor stands:

https://images.app.goo.gl/9iGupoUoxTyYyZ8B6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Just a heads up, I don't know how much longer I can continue to upload at the current speed. School starts again for me next week, I will try my best to still post once a week at the very least but I doubt that daily updates will be possible.  
> However, I have worked out some major plot points today and I am insanely excited to write what's to come!  
> As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14, Will

Nico could be so stubborn. He was lucky he was cute, Will thought begrudgingly. It had taken him a total of three hours to convince Nico that splitting up would be a stupid idea, but he had managed.

He'd lie if he'd say that he didn't enjoy the verbal sparring he and Nico constantly kept up. The young son of Hades really had him wrapped around his finger entirely and he didn't even know it.

Sighing, he followed Nico deeper into the woods. Their visit to the underworld had been a bizarre ordeal. He was at least half-convinced that the occasional quest there was just Hade's way of keeping an eye on his son. 

Will hadn't expected to be dragged along, even less he had expected to have dinner with Hades and Persephone but it had still happened. The quest, to retrieve a special recently lost flower of Persephone's, had been ridiculously easy. Will strongly suspected that Nico was aware that it was just a rouse. Neither of them commented on it, the occasional easy success couldn't hurt.

Now they were trudging through an unfamiliar forest somewhere in England. Will noted to never again think his life as a Demigod couldn't become any weirder. The fates seemed to take thoughts like that as a personal challenge.

Nico was leading the way while trying to explain the aura he saw. It was fascinating to Will as much as it was terrifying. Nico pointed up a hill and Will thought he saw rooftops behind the thick green of the trees. 

Nico pushed a few tree branches aside, "It's kind of like a black glow. Or rather a mist. It's hard to explain and I haven't seen anything like it before. The color is different depending on the type of death, usually, it's purple or red," he described as he let Will catch up with him.

Will wondered how much time Nico had to spend staggering through foreign forests until he moved with such ease. He wished his strange friend hadn't had such a hard life, sometimes he caught glances of who Nico could have been. In the rare genuine smiles or when he talked about something other than monsters and death. 

In the end, it didn't matter. They both had the life they had, and they'd make the best out of it. He couldn't change any of the things that had happened to him, but he could be there for him from here on out. 

"Is there any death aura that looks similar? Which one is the darkest you have ever seen? Maybe that's a hint since black is as dark as it gets," Will shrugged. He hoped he didn't sound stupid to Nico.

Nico stopped dead in his tracks, Will almost ran into him. Then he turned around with a maniac grin on his face and Will abruptly took a step back.

"That's it!" Nico exclaimed joyfully. Will had never seen anyone so happy about the news of a death omen but he was still happy to have caused that smile.

"The darkest one I saw before this one was caused by a cursed object of Hecates. It was dark blue. This," he pointed up like Will could see it too, "is also dark blue, like ink, the center looks black and I thought the blue around it was the sky looking darker because of the black. But it's part of the aura," he went on hastily in a much more subdued voice.

"Glad to have been of help," Will grinned.

Nico turned back around with much more motivation to his posture and continued his way up the hill. "That was brilliant Will, thank you," he mumbled. 

Sure it would have been nicer to look him in the eyes when he said that but he thought he saw a faint blush travel up his friend's neck and that almost made up for it.

"I can't wait to tell everyone at camp about this. You thanked me, that will be the campfire story of the year," he teased and Nico laughed.

"Don't think I'll ever admit that happened," Nico answered and they fell back into their light-hearted banter.

After a while, they reached the edge of the forest. The trees had been so thick that they hadn't been able to see it until they disorientedly stumbled out and found themselves in front of a house. 

Only that it wasn't really a house. It was a mansion of a size Will wouldn't have believed possible. The area it covered must have been that of a football field and that didn't count the acres of empty space around it.

His mouth hung open, the mansion was gloomy in its entirety and looked older than the most ancient trees in the forest around it. Five stories of pure darkness towered over them and he didn't doubt that the place had a cellar as well. 

The geometry of the stone facade made it appear even colder, 'there is no room for mistakes of any kind,' it seemed to say. To both sides, towers were attached to the main building and the center with the entrance gate was slightly elevated. The windows were of the shape one often saw in churches, high arches with reflective glass that didn't allow to look in.

Perfectly trimmed hedges led up to the main entrance, the entire place was in perfect condition but there wasn't a soul around. Yet somehow he felt watched.

Will shuddered and pulled Nico behind the nearest trees. Nico searched his face with a kind of gentle worry Will wouldn't have believed possible from him. Nico reached for his shoulder, "are you okay?" He asked carefully.

His heart skipped a beat, "Yeah, I just felt like it wouldn't be clever to stay out in the open like that," he vaguely gestured for the empty space stretching out in front of them. 

Nico didn't press him any further but he didn't look convinced. He just calmly offered, "you know you don't have to come with me, Will."

The worst part was that he believed it, Nico would go on alone without reluctance. Will firmly shook his head, "absolutely not," and he would almost have like to call him a punk. 'What was Nico thinking?'

"Let's just think this through, we can't just walk all the way to the main gate. We don't know who might see us through the windows," he gestured up. 

Will mocked, "And even if we'd make it, what are we gonna do? Knock on the door and say 'sorry most likely evil person who lives here, but can we please check out where the death aura around your house comes from?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Nico snorted and some of the tension in his body ceased. Will didn't doubt his friend would have just gone ahead with no plan at all and gone straight for the house. He sighed, how Nico had managed not to get himself killed so far in his life remained a mystery.

Nico tilted his head and some of his dark curls adorably fell to the other side, "so what do you think we should do, Sunshine?" 

Oh, gods help him, he needed to start thinking straight like right now, before he said something stupid.

'Sunshine,' it had started as a sarcastic joke, but it kind of stuck. Will honestly didn't complain too much, but now it sounded so unironic when Nico said it that he no longer knew how to react.

He swallowed his nerves, they were on a mission, he had to remind himself. "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe we could scout out the area, see if we can find a way on the backside of the property with better cover."

Nico eyed the mansion with cold calculation, what he was calculation Will could only guess. And as a doctor, he didn't like his guess. 

As if to confirm his thoughts, Nico said, "I can shadow travel us in. The building combined with the forest casts enough shadows for it to be relatively safe. It's not even that far."

Will raised one eyebrow at him, unimpressed, "I don't think that's a good idea. You will just over exhaust yourself again."

Nico laughed humorlessly, "don't tell me you're worried." His words hurt worse than a slap to the face would have.

"Of course I'm worried about you, you idiot. Do you think I'd have dinner with Hades and Persephone for just anybody," he lashed out and regretted it instantly. Nico seemed struck by his words but neither of them was quite willing to apologize.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as they both stared up at the house, trying to come up with a different plan. After a while, Will gave up.

He stared at Nico instead, which sue him, wasn't the cleverest cause of action either. He sighed. Calling Nico an idiot was stupid, so was insulting his father. But really what was Nico thinking? The boy was going to drive him insane someday. 

What worried him most was that he didn't know how to prove that he cared. Nico let him know every chance he got that he hated physical affection. Will tried his best to respect that without seeming distant. Sometimes he'd get closer anyways, just to challenge Nico a little but he didn' risk it all too often. 

And now he messed up and Nico assumed he didn't care. Dread spread through him and he still stared at Nico, trying to make some sense out of the boy. 

Nico was less scary to him with every day they spent together. His eye color may be as black as a raven but by now they just looked deep to Will and not deadly like others seemed to believe. In contrast with his pale complexion, his equally dark hair just made him look handsome and not dangerous. His snarky comments were a facade and not maliciousness.

He looked almost soft and the way he cared about others even when he believed no one really cared about him made him even more admirable. Will realized he was fawning again but he couldn't help it. For a split second his eyes darted to the other boy's lips.

No, bad idea, especially with how much Nico hated it when people got close to him. They'd never speak again if he tried that. 

Unless he asked for permission first, as one was supposed to do. A small voice in his head kept nagging, and it caused hot and cold shudders to run over him. No way would he ever be bold enough to do that. Nuh-uh. 

Killing a couple of monsters? No problem. Fixing terrible injuries with blood and exposed bone everywhere? Absolutely, he was the guy for that. Asking out the boy he wanted in actual understandable words? Not in this lifetime. His knees went weak thinking about it.

Just then Nico turned to the side and they locked eyes. After a beat of silence, they both blurted, "sorry." 

Will laughed, Nico at least smirked a little. He felt lighter again, sometimes it was just that easy, he thought happily.

"What were you thinking about?" Asked Nico in a small voice and Will's heart skipped another beat. Adrenalin rushed through him like otherwise only in mid-battle.

Before he knew what he was doing, he said, "about kissing you," because Nico just had that effect on him. Will was mortified, he felt his head turn red. Nico's eyes widened in surprise.

'No no no no, I didn't', he thought, 'that didn't just happen,' never before had he wanted the ground beneath him to part so badly. He quickly turned away, "we should get going, just standing here won't help us," he tried. 

Will was under no illusion that Nico hadn't heard him or that he was effectively getting away with this. He just hoped Nico had the decency to politely ignore it.

He got about three steps ahead when Nico grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around. 'That's the end of me,' thought Will, which was admittedly a tad dramatic. Nico would tell him that that was unacceptable. That they had to part ways. That-

His thoughts of personal demise were rudely and abruptly interrupted. Nico still held him by the shoulder and faced him, his cheeks were a little redder than usual. Nico pushed him back, a few steps further into the forest and Will didn't know what Nico wanted until his back hit the trunk of a tree, and Nico kissed him.

________________________________________

Percy

The discussion flared up again, and he let his head drop. They had spent the last hour or so going in circles. 

Annabeth kept saying, "I just don't get how that was even possible," as if knowing that would change anything.

"Maybe nothing will happen the second time," said Hazel hopefully.

Rather unlikely if you asked Percy.

"So we will have to assume Harry will get your worst memory next," shrugged Ginny and Jason nodded.

That was more realistic, but for all they knew something entirely different wasn't beyond possible either. They simply had no idea. 

Hermione put in, "isn't there something we can do to prevent that? Maybe a slight memory spell?"

At that, Harry grimaced and Percy assumed memory spells weren't done lightly. 

Annabeth shook her head, "we don't know how our types of magic mix. The result could be a catastrophe. We need to make a few tests with simpler spells first."

Harry sighed and he glanced at Percy, with a rather obvious gesture. 'Let's just do this,' he was signaling. As much as Percy would have liked to agree, he wasn't sure that was such a good idea.

He could easily guess what his worst memory would be and he didn't want to put that on anyone. Harry didn't know what he was getting into but Percy feared there was no other way out of this. They needed their weapons back.

"Okay," he said, "let's go upstairs, I'd rather minimize the chances that an adult walks in," he decided.

"That an adult walks in on what?" Asked Lupin pointedly, who had just appeared in the doorframe.

Percy cursed silently. The others glanced away unhappily. Only Fred and George were having a great time like all they missed was a bucket of popcorn.

There was no way they could get away from Lupin now, but in terms of which adult found them out, he supposed they could have done worse.

Hermione came to the same conclusion, she sighed unhappily and explained the vision Percy had gotten to her old professor. Lupin listened, one eyebrow raised but he didn't seem surprised.

"I guessed something wasn't quite right," he acknowledged, "you seemed a little shaken. Though, this is worse than I expected. I'm sorry you had to see that, both of you," he told them calmly.

"Professor, do you have any idea what we can do?" Asked Hermione, she really couldn't get over the teacher-knows-all principle.

Lupin frowned, "I'm sorry Hermione. And you really need to stop calling me Professor," he offered her a small smile. "I don't know if there is anything I can do, but I'll come with you just in case."

Now it was Percy's time to frown, there were already more people around than he liked. Actually, he had hoped to get a chance to warn Harry of what he might see but he didn't feel like telling everyone including Lupin. Nothing against them, but this was personal and telling Harry was already bad enough.

They wordlessly got up and made their way for the stairs before any more people joined their excursion. Percy pondered how to proceed until they reached the girls' bedroom which had been silently elected. 

It was the least gloomy room in the house, thanks to the big windows. They had proclaimed it their unofficial meeting point the other day when they prepared for the Order conference.

Frank closed the door behind them, all fourteen of them stood in an unsure circle. Percy had to say something, he realized.

"Okay, let's get this over with," the wand in his hand was weighing him down more than it should. He sighed, "its probably only fair if I first explain what you will most likely see. Wouldn't want to put that on anyone without a warning."

Thirteen expectant pairs of eyes were fixed on him. Annabeth shifted unhappily, it was her worst memory too after all.

"Maybe not everyone needs to hear that," she attempted. 

Percy looked at her, "Annabeth, you know what he is going to see. Would you really put that on anyone alone? They will hear it sooner or later, I think it's time," he wished he could do more for her. He wished this wasn't necessary.

Annabeth nodded jerkily and excepted his decision. Her bravery was admirable as always.

"That bad, huh?" Ginny pried carefully. 

No one said anything. Annabeth swallowed heavily, "Fred, George, I actually mostly appreciate your jokes, but just a heads up; now is not the time," she warned them unsteadily.

The twins appeared sheepish, Percy understood that jokes were just their method to lighten a situation, but Annabeth was right, now was not the time. Fred and George mumbled their agreement.

Percy cleared his throat, he just couldn't get himself to start speaking, no one rushed him but he felt the minutes ticking by. 

He sat down on the floor, leaning against one of the beds, and closed his eyes for a second. Somehow the world was especially heavy today.

With his head still in his hands he began, "before the grand showdown of the last war we had to unite the Roman and the Greek camp. We also had to unchain the doors of death so the monsters we were fighting didn't have a direct way back to the world of the living."

He dropped his hands and saw that everyone else had also sat down. No one made a sound. Percy couldn't bear it, but now that he had started speaking he couldn't stop either.

"The doors of death are an actual physical thing that teleports all over the place. Our enemies chained it and held it open, for their use. Part of our prophecy was that we needed to break those chains or our entire mission would fail," he explained.

In his head, he was there again already. Annabeth too. He saw it in how she held herself, like a scared seven-year-old, running from cyclops all over again.

"To unite the camps Annabeth went on an impossible quest on her own, to find a powerful statue of her mother, Athena. After thousands of failed missions to retrieve that statue led by other children of Athena, Annabeth was the one who figured it all out. She succeeded but the quest led her deep down in an unstable cave, right over the deepest, darkest, most terrible part of the underworld. The part where monsters go after they die, Tartarus."

Every word cut closer to the truth, he felt it cutting away from his soul. Over the last few months, he had done his best to bury the memory. Now it was back and it was enough to make him sick.

Jason eyed him worriedly and took over telling the part he knew.

"We exploded the ceiling to free Annabeth when we got suspicious and feared that her quest had gone wrong," he began hastily, not letting Percy out of his eyes.

"We found her just after her great success but the last enemy she fought down there wasn't as far gone as we thought. It fell straight into Tartarus and it pulled Annabeth with it. We didn't know what was happening until it was too late. Percy held her over the edge but she was still being pulled down. There was nothing any of us could do," reflected Jason in a hushed voice.

He knew his voice was still unsteady and he hated himself for it, but he had to tell the next part himself.

"But I would never let her go. Ever," he swore. "We knew the doors of death were somewhere down there, and we had to find them anyways. I told the others to meet us there and jumped in with her."

He swallowed heavily, "From here on, they," he pointed at the five other Demigods, "don't know what happened either."

Jason shook his head, "and that part was insane already. Before then, we weren't even sure that Tartarus was an actual physical place."

"We know now that Nico ended up there too at some point. He was dragged out by monsters that kidnapped him, but I don't think that other than those three anyone made it out of there alive, ever," Jason disclosed.

Ron scowled, "Hazels brother?" What the hell didn't that guy do?" He asked taken aback, and then quickly apologized.

Percy didn't mind thinking about something else for a second,  
"Yeah, he is always good for a surprise," he answered.

"Anyway, the only reason we survived was that we fell over one of the four rivers of Tartarus. I used it to shield our fall," he informed them.

For the next part, he knew it would be better to just get it out, he wouldn't pause, he wouldn't think about it.

"Everything about Tartarus is deadly. The ground, the air, the water, it's all designed to kill. Especially demigods. Monsters regenerate there but we almost instantly died. The only way to survive, and thank the gods Annabeth remembered that, is to drink the liquid fire from one of the rivers."

"It's as painful as it sounds but the fire has magical properties that heal you just enough so you don't die. It doesn't make you feel okay, but you can keep going and the poison in the air doesn't kill you. It's just pure pain," he paused for a second to get some air.

Annabeth shook her head, "don't say remembering that was smart. If it hadn't been for me we wouldn't have fallen. I still can't believe you fell with me instead of just letting go."

That was so typical for her. What they went through was nobody's fault but Gaea's and yet Annabeth blamed herself.

"Never, and you know that. You wouldn't have let go either," he said firmly.

"I wouldn't have," she admitted with a sigh.

She hesitated, "Makes our relationship easy, I suppose. After that, I don't think there is anything that can separate us." It sounded like a promise.

"I'm glad," he said. Because he meant it, no one else understood him like she did and he knew it was mutual. 

He didn't allow himself to dwell on that right now, he had to get this over with first.

"Going backward is physically impossible, and going forwards hurts worse with every step. Every monster we ever killed was done there, waiting for a second chance to kill us. We ran into the demonic manifestations of every curse. We met the mother of darkness," Percy shuddered and his voice broke.

He shook his head vehemently, "I can't go on. Short version; a titan helped us, we almost died every step we took, we faced all our old enemies, the titan and a giant sacrificed themselves so we could get out. It was pure torment."

He looked at Harry, "you have no idea how sorry I am that you will have to see that."

Harry was pale, "It's not your fault," he said mechanically. "I've seen so many terrible things through Voldemort, this won't change anything," he mumbled.

Lupin interfered, "Wait, you've seen through him?" 

The others pained expressions were mirrored in Lupins, and Percy couldn't stand it. The pity almost made him buckle, all he wanted was to get on with his life.

Harry sounded just as bad as they all felt when he explained, "We're somehow connected, it's usually just nightmares. But yes. Half the summer I kept dreaming of Cedric's death but through his perspective," he sounded absolutely miserable.

Percy thought the blood was freezing over in his veins. Experiencing the murder of a friend by the hands of the man who killed his parents was already terrible and messed up. But being forced to see it through the murderer's eyes over and over again was something he couldn't imagine.

"Harry that's awful, why didn't you say anything?" Wailed Hermione.

Harry glared at her, "When was I supposed to tell you that 'Mione? In answer to one of the letters you didn't write to me?" 

Hermione looked hurt but she didn't argue further. Harry scowled, clearly fighting himself not to lash out at his friends. 

Lupin looked at him analytically, "Harry, that was Dumbledores mistake. We will not let it happen again. That doesn't mean you can't talk to us."

Harry didn't reply. He needed time, Percy understood that but he still decided to keep an eye on Harry. The guilt Harry was putting on himself could get dangerous if he wasn't careful. Harry needed a purpose and a way to get rid of the nightmares, badly.

First, they had to get this over with though.  
________________________________________

Annabeth

When their discussion ended after Percy had recounted all of Tartarus for their friends, Annabeth was ready to leave.

She couldn't take it anymore. Every night Tartarus came back to her, she tried so hard to be strong. For Percy, who saw her as his equal, and for all the missions they had to go on. For their friends who thought of her as a leader, she couldn't bear to let them down.

Now, Percy was about to willingly subject himself to that place again for some stupid sword. It made her want to scream at the fates. Instead, she sat next to him, held him, got ready to catch him, and expected it to kill her.

If Harry hadn't explained the duel at the graveyard to them, she would have insisted it was stupid to switch the weapons back. Sadly, it sounded like in a dire situation, that wand might be all that could save Harry's life. It would otherwise not just bring Harry in danger, but the entire wizarding world depending on him as well. They had to switch back.

Harry sat down to Percy's other side with Ron next to him. Harry and Percy seized each other up for a second, wand and gladius in Hand. Harry was determined, maybe he hoped new pain would cover the old one, or get rid of his anger. 

Annabeth didn't want to tell him it didn't work like that, anything to get him through what he was about to see was good.

She heard Percy exhale and he gripped the Gladius, at the same time Harry clasped the wand.

Instantly, Percy's eyes went wide and glossed over. His back arched through and he struggled against her. He was trembling and there was pure panic in his eyes.

Harry was doing even worse, there was unspeakable agony written over his face and it clung to him like fire to gas. Lupin and Hermione had rushed over but they couldn't help. They had to watch as he squirmed in suffering.

Neither one of the Heroes screamed but she could tell by how they both had their jaws clenched that they would have liked to. She ignored her own tears and pressed a kiss to Percy's cheek. Anything to let him know he wasn't alone. Wrapping herself around him she murmured into his ear, tried to wake him up even though she knew it was useless.

Just like the last time, the vision went on for several minutes. The others were terrified but they didn't dare use magic to try and intercept it. In the worst case that could get them stuck in the vision and they couldn't risk that.

Eventually, the trembling began to cease. Annabeth gasped for air, speaking with Percy animatedly, hoping her voice would wake him sooner. He was deathly pale but his eyes had finally closed, the tension was starting to leave his body. The recent pain was still keeping him deliriously on edge. 

She pressed one hand to his forehead and pulled him closer now that he wasn't struggling against her anymore. He was icy cold and heavy, leaning against her.

Harry next to them was breathing shakily, his glasses set crookedly on his nose. Ron and Hermione kneeled next to him, holding him. Lupin stood behind them, all three were severely horrified. 

Only then did she notice that Jason and Hazel had rushed towards her and Percy in an attempt to help, but they couldn't do anything either. Percy finally relaxed in her arms, he was breathing more steadily.

After another minute or so, he reached for her hand and her heart jumped with relief. She pressed one kiss to him after the next and did her best not to cry. Percy finally pulled himself in an upright position, blinking heavily. There were unshed tears in his eyes and he looked utterly burned out, but he was fine.

The life was returning to his features with every second even though he let himself fall in her arms again. She petted his hair and hated herself for not being able to do more. Watching him suffer like that just broke her heart. 

"I'm okay," he muttered eventually, and half the room exhaled a collective breath they had been holding, but it wasn't over yet. Harry was still tense and unconscious.

________________________________________

Percy

The memory vision had been like he had expected it to be. Awful and realistic but relatively short, he lived through the worst parts of his stay in Tartarus again but the memory was a chopped up version of what had really happened. Shorter, but just as vivid. Deep down he knew that it wasn't real and he clung to Annabeth's voice in the back of his conscience. 

It might sound insane, but he was glad it was him who had to live through this again. Being on the other end, watching Annabeth suffer, he couldn't have done it. But she stayed the entire time, a comforting but fleeting presence in his waking nightmare. It was terrible in every way, but he knew he'd get through because he had done it before.

He hated relying on her like that but it was just what they did for each other. There were many times when Annabeth must have felt the same way, he was sure of it. She didn't admit it lightly but he knew Tartarus had been even worse for her.

She relied on her head so much, but it bound her to her worst moments. She couldn't repress it. Percy tried his best to be there for her, at least he understood what she was going through. Even if understanding was all he could offer.

When he began coming back to himself, he found that Annabeth was holding him, like expected. It felt good and familiar and something like the smell of blue cookies. He breathed in deeply, expecting the air to burn in his lungs after the poison of Tartarus but it didn't. It felt freeing. To his surprise, he was actually fine again fairly quickly. 

Maybe after all the years of demigod dreaming, his brain had learned to tell the difference. The pain was rushing away from him as if it was water he chose to repel. He sat upright. His head spun and flashes of memories caused him to lean against Annabeth again.

She was talking to him, peppering him with kisses but he could tell that she had been crying. 

He sat up again, this time with more success and kissed her back, this time firmly and properly on the mouth. "I'm fine," he promised again. 

Then he glanced over, Harry was just beginning to wake up and he grimaced. Putting the poor guy through all of that really hadn't been his intention.

Harry was just sitting up and shaking his head to clear it. Hermione was doting on him and Ron and Lupin pulled him up to get him to sit on one of the beds. Harry seemed rather irritated with the whole effort but he complied nonetheless.

"Back off," he told them forcefully and adjusted his glasses. Everyone was staring at him. He took another deep breath clearly trying to orient himself. To Percy's relief, he seemed to be regaining his composure quickly.

Harry

15 minutes later they were back in the living room. It was the middle of the night and he was fairly certain everyone else had gone to bed.

He and Percy were both wearing thick sweaters and sitting close by the fireplace. The vision had drained them both of all warmth, somewhat like a dementor.

Tartarus was just like Percy described it, in the way that it was indescribably awful. The whole place seemed to live and was out for murder. He had felt pure terror through the whole ordeal. But now that it was over, it was fading quickly, getting harder to remember by the minute. 

Maybe there were some things which human consciousness just couldn't take. The reality of it was already escaping him, like that of a childhood nightmare. Terrifyingly real in one second and gone in the next.

Remus must have had the same idea about the dementor likeness, because just then he came back out of the kitchen with four vials of potions and some chocolate. He instructed them to drink and eat and let himself fall into one of the armchairs, looking exhausted.

Harry recognized the pastel blue color of the dreamless sleep potion and the deep purple of a pain-relieving one and downed both vials without question. Then he took a bite of the chocolate and tried to ignore that everyone was watching him like he might spontaneously drop dead.

Percy held one of the potion vials to the light, examining it, and Hermione hastily began to explain what it was. Annabeth clung to Percy, looking worse than he did.

Harry understood why. He had seen Annabeth in that vision, seen what she and Percy had been through. Never in his life had he felt such pure agony. It was like an ongoing cruciatus curse.

He also felt Percy's pain when he saw Annabeth suffer through the curses in Tartarus and he understood their relationship a whole lot better. They weren't just some teenage couple, those two would die together. His heart ached on their behalf, nobody should live through something like that.

It also made it easier to accept their help, they took every kind of evil very personally, Harry knew that now. He yawned as he felt the dreamless sleep start to kick in.

Ron still watched him with wide eyes, "so, that bad huh?"

"Yep," said Harry, "but it's over," and Ron would have to deal with that little explanation. Some thoughts just couldn't be shared and it was better that way. 

His anger from earlier had evaporated for now. All he could think of was how he could even consider being angry at anyone when so much worse had happened to his new friends. Emptiness was spreading through him and he felt cold and tired. He just wanted to sleep.

Then, after thinking it over for a second, he turned to Percy, "I'm sorry," was all he said and Percy seemed to get it. He offered a tired smile in return.

"Me too," replied Percy, then he got up and told the others he needed sleep. He also told them Annabeth was coming with him and nobody argued. 

Harry also got up, like in trance. In a split second, Ron and Hermione were by his side, "I'm fine," he mumbled again but he knew he didn't sound convincing. 

"Think of it as a horror movie, I knew it wasn't real and it's over now. I'm fine," he tried again. This time they nodded. He and Hermione had explained movies to Ron often enough that he seemed willing to accept it. 

He thanked them, and he thanked Remus for trying to help and was about to go when Percy stopped him. He and Annabeth still stood by the stairs. Percy took a few steps forward and awkwardly put one hand on Harry's shoulder like he didn't know where he was going with this himself.

The boy Harry was facing had never looked more like a normal teenager than at that moment, uncertain and tired. Which was odd because Harry had just learned how unlike any normal teenager Percy was.

"We'll get through this," promised Percy, and Harry was glad to think that finally, someone understood him. Sure, Ron and Hermione were trying, but it wasn't the same. Still, it felt cruel to put all of that on Percy.

Percy squeezed his shoulder, "you need to start trusting people," he said as if he could read Harry's thoughts. Then he frowned, "just maybe not that creepy old headmaster of yours." 

Short startled laughter traveled through the room from every corner and dissolved the heavy fear that had been weighing them down. Percy hugged him shortly and Harry didn't complain. 

Any other day, he would have been embarrassed and pushed him away but right now he really didn't mind. His throat felt dry and he pulled Percy closer for just a second. Percy was taller than him and it was kind of awkward to hug a guy his age but he felt better. He wasn't alone in this. 

They both let go again pretty quickly and Percy vanished up the stairs with Annabeth. Harry rubbed his temples and was glad he had taken the pain-relieving potion, or else the headache would kill him. 

The others were finally convinced that everything was okay. They too looked tired and one after the other they said good night. 

That night Harry fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Ron had just asked him something but he was knocked out cold. The dreamless sleep potion was doing its job and he was far gone in exhausted slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, y'all, and thanks for reading!
> 
> I was super scared to write this chapter cause I really didn't know if I could do the gruesomeness of Tartarus justice, but I loved writing about Nico and Will (that bit wasn't even planned, that just kind of happened.)
> 
> Just so you know, I was trying to make it a point that Percy and Annabeth see each other as equals even though he was leaning on her in this chapter (literally) that was because of obviously difficult circumstances which do tend to bring people closer. 
> 
> Okay, I'm done ranting, thanks to all of you for sticking with this story again!  
> I hope you enjoy it!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15, Will

Eventually, he had given in and let Nico shadowtravel them inside, which surely didn't have anything to do with the fact that he was still flustered from that kiss. 

He couldn't believe that had actually happened but it was still so real in the foreground of his mind. Nico's lips against his own, soft and warm. Pure bliss as they stood in a close embrace in the forest just minutes ago. Nico kissed him like there was no tomorrow and Will pulled him closer. 

But just as abruptly as it had begun, Nico had pulled away. Panting heavily and leaving Will with an even bigger emotional chaos. Nico stormed ahead towards the house without a word. Will's head hadn't even stopped spinning yet when he ran after Nico, who just said, "I'll shadowtravel us in," in a low voice and grabbed his hand. Will hadn't protested. 

But now that he was gradually coming back to reality he wanted nothing more than to make some sense out of this. Nico had other ideas and Will tried to suppress his dopey smile and followed him.

The inside of the mansion was as sinister and creepy as anticipated. Standing in a grand entrance hall they stuck to the shadows and mustered their surroundings.

A giant chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling, the walls were covered in dark frescos in front of which several suits of knights armor stood. There were 4 wooden doors, one in each wall. 

He had to give up any personal dilemmas for the moment, it worried him that Nico hadn't said anything but right now he had to concentrate on the mission. He was just about to ask Nico which way he wanted to go when they heard voices from behind the left door. The one in the middle was too far away. Nico was still pondering the room and Will quickly yanked him to the right. 

In a split second, they pulled the door shut behind them again and found themselves in a dark hallway. Where they had been just seconds ago, three people were now talking.

"Dawlish don't be such a fool. We will go on no mission until the Dark Lord tells us to do so," said a bored sounding female voice. 

Their steps echoed down the hallway and became louder, for a second Will feared they'd take the door he and Nico were hiding behind. This wasn't a normal mission, these monsters were human.

"I'm just saying," drawled Dawlish, "I'm sure he'd be proud of us if we only find a quicker way to kidnap the Potter boy. He is just a kid, it shouldn't be too hard. We can force him to get us the Prophecy so the Dark Lord can be sure nothing strange will happen again. Then we kill him," he spoke in that voice only self-assured idiots had perfected.

The steps slowly became quieter, a third voice answered,  
"The dark lord never should have never told you his plans in the first place."

The last one gave Will the chills, sounding deliberate, and speaking down to his comrades in a low growl. Clearly, the last person was of the highest rank. A creaking sound followed by a metallic click indicated that a door closed behind them and it was silent again.

Will breathed a sigh of relief. The hallway they stood in was dark but at least they were alone.

"Come on," whispered Nico and together they hurried through the shadows, towards what, Will didn't know.

One hallway followed the next, they all looked the same; gloomy and deserted. Will had no idea where they were going but Nico must have been following some kind of trail, he was almost running now. 

Until they found themselves between two doors, just as the one facing them opened. 

A platinum blonde boy with sharp features and grey eyes stood there, he couldn't have been much older than Will and he wasn't sure who was more shocked at the moment. The guy's eyes darted over them in a haunted expression.

A rash movement and the guy had a stick pointed at Nico's throat which looked kind of ridiculous, however behind him an utterly terrifying voice singsonged, asking the boy, Draco, what took him so long.

"Your parents will be here soon, maybe I can train you until they come back," she laughed shrilly. 

Draco seemed to think she was terrifying too because he gestured hastily at the room behind them. They stumbled inside and it turned out to be a massive library. Draco hastily locked the door and slumped against it.

"Are you okay?" Asked Will and bit his lip for asking that. Seriously, what was going on with him today?

"Am I okay?" Mocked the boy between exasperated gasps. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house? If she had found you," he pointed in the direction of the shrill voice, "you'd be dead."

"You're too young to be from the Order," he scowled.

Nico and Will glanced at each other, that guy was entirely insane.

"More of his followers show up here every day. They will start training me soon," he ranted mostly to himself, then he straightened his back and pointed the stick at them again.

Will raised his hands slowly, "look, we're not here to hurt anybody,"

"Yet," growled Nico.

Will closed his eyes for a second and asked the gods for strength. "This is going to sound weird but we believe there is something intensely deadly in this house-"

Draco interrupted him, "you're kidding? Tell me you're kidding! The two of you are insane!" He laughed hysterically.

Nico shrugged, "either you'll sell us out or you won't and something tells me you won't. So we'll be on our way then," he grabbed Will and made his way towards the door. 

"You'll both die if you do that," said the boy dryly. Nico ignored him and unlocked the door. The guy ran after them.

The crazy singsong voice was still there but it sounded far away now. The blond continuously cursed them under his breath and demanded to know what they were doing. Will probably would have told him only that he had no idea himself.

Sharply turning around the next corner they almost came face to face with a brutal looking burly man. Draco pulled them back by their collars, "you need to leave," he hissed.

Nico shook his head vehemently, "we need to find wherever this aura comes from or many people will die," he ground out, clearly annoyed. He gave Draco that death glare that let any Demigod know who's son he was, but this guy wasn't a Demigod. 

Will watched him carefully, he wanted to grab Nico and ask him if something about the aura had changed but he didn't dare while Draco was so close.

Draco swallowed heavily, "sooner or later many people will die. A war is coming."

Will wanted to yell at him for more information, instead he whispered, "A war?" 

"How can you not know that?" Muttered Draco crossly.

"We're not from here. Help us and you'll never see us again," promised Nico coldly.

"Where are you from?" Hissed Draco like he still couldn't believe they didn't know of any war.

"America." They both answered.

"Go back to America then, and hide. I'm trying to get through this without killing anybody." Draco attempted to sound stern and dangerous but really he sounded like a scared child who didn't know how to tell his parents he got a bad grade.

"Not doing anything when people are dying preventable deaths is killing," replied Nico coldly.

Draco argued, "It's not, its self-preservation."

"Its cowardice," Nico shot back.

"You'd be dead right now without me," reminded them Draco.

"Right now you're not being a coward," deadpanned Will.

Rounding a corner they came to the entrance of an enormous hall. Peering inside they saw five people in dark cloaks facing a sixth person. A table separated them with nothing on it but a tiny leatherbound book.

Below the table, a giant snake had curled itself together to sleep. Will eyed it with distaste, it reminded him of their usual domain. That was an oldfashioned monster as one found it in the old myths. He knew what came next before Nico said anything.

Nico took a step back in the shadows, "That's it," he announced in a hushed voice.

Draco was getting more panicked by the second, "What?" He asked forcefully.

Nico appeared satisfied, "That snake. It's killed hundreds. Now we just have to kill it."

"I think you mean it's owner killed hundreds," replied Draco shakily. 

"Who?" Inquired Will.

The cloaked figures were definitely discussing something, it looked like they were pitching ideas to their leader. Hoping to catch their words, Will leaned forward, but it was no use. 

Draco yanked them further away, "Quiet!" He insisted.

Nico tensed and gripped his sword, Will knew that posture in him, he was about to attack. They didn't have a clear view of the sixth person and the table would be in the way but the first five didn't appear too dangerous. Will got ready to charge after him at a moment's notice.

When the sixth figure got up from its throne and stalked towards the others, Draco's consistent string of quiet curses was broken by a gasp, "I didn't know he was here," he said with alarm. The boy was deadly afraid and Will understood why.

Radiating pure evil power, a tall man paced the room. His hooded cloak moved around him like a shadow, the snake had uncurled and followed him closely. From the glimpses he caught, Will could tell that the man had snake-like features and blood-red eyes.

"Do you understand now? We are lucky they have an oneway silencing charm on the room. One step further and we all die."

The leader continued his pacing, he stalked past his followers, examining something on the far end of the room just outside their view. The other five turned as well. 

Nico saw his chance as they all faced away from the small table, the snake was undoubtedly out of reach but the book wasn't. He glared at a shadow close to the table in concentration and a second later he was gone.

Without a sound, he reappeared just behind the table, grabbed the book, and vanished again. It had happened so fast Draco didn't even notice what Nico had done, he was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed like he hoped this was all just a dream. Will thought the kid was gonna faint any second.

"Deep breaths," he told the blonde, Nico materialized behind them. Will took one look at his friend and knew they needed to hurry to get out, they wouldn't kill any snakes today. 

Rapidly gaining the impression that they had the completely wrong picture of the whole situation, Will was itching to leave. All his instincts told him that they were missing vital information, kind of like zapping through TV programs and watching just the last ten minutes of a movie.

Nico was shaking and exhausted. Will quickly moved to support him, wrapping one arm around his waist and supporting as much of the other boy's weight as he could. Nico tensed for a second but then he leaned against Will gratefully.

He was just about to suggest they get out, when Nico said, "now the snake," and got ready to shadowtravel again. Will held onto him, "no," he decided in his doctor's voice which earned him a pointed glare. 

Draco was just coming to his senses again, as the leader paced back into the center of the room and gave a last warning to his followers. Then he disappeared with a loud crack.

There was only empty space where just a second ago the dark leader and his pet monster had stood. He had simply evaporated, the day kept getting weirder. Humans shouldn't be able to do that, there was something deeply wrong with this entire situation.

Draco sighed in relief but Nico growled in frustration, the snake was gone too. Will reached for his hand and tried to steer him away from the room, they didn't know where snake-face would reappear.

One of the remaining men strode toward the table, Draco's eyes widened, "they are going to leave any second. Snape is here. Bellatrix is here. You need to run." This time his tone left no room for arguments, he sounded shriller with each sentence, and without the snake here they had no reason to risk anything.

"All for nothing," cursed Nico, "we need that snake," he added with emphasis. Will dragged him along.

They hurried back the way they had come, only now Draco was leading the way. It felt twice as long as before with Nico heavily leaning on him.

"You need to leave! He apperated, they could be anywhere!" Draco hissed at them while running ahead.

"You're afraid of him," Nico shot back and Will wished he'd do more running and less arguing.

"I'm his follower, like my father. And this is betrayal, so get out." It sounded as if he had said the first part hundreds of times before, like a carefully memorized phrase.

They abruptly halted in front of a huge wooden door. Draco ran a hand through his hair, he was on the brink of insanity.

"You won't make it to the woods, and if I come with you every alarm will go off," he said in realization.

They exchanged a glance, "Why?" asked Will.

Draco shook his head as if to clear it, "I'm grounded in my father's stead," he explained hastily.

"Where is your father? Are you safe here?" inquired Will, suddenly feeling bad for the boy who was afraid in his own home.

"I'm safe as long as I follow orders," he replied coldly, clearly taken aback by Will's pity.

"That's a lie," Nico stated flatly.

The blond ignored him, "If you make it to the woods, steer left, that's the only route. There are invisible traps on the outer skirts, only on the far left is one clear path. I can't show you, they'll notice I'm gone right away." He was still tugging on his hair, perhaps trying to come up with a better plan.

"How did we not trigger them when we came here?" asked Nico and Will really wished he had different priorities.

Draco replied absentmindedly, "One-way traps, if someone dares to attack, they are locked in."

They both swallowed heavily. This time they messed up bad.

"Thank you," said Will as guilt crept up in his stomach,  
"and sorry for putting you in this position."

It was the first time the other guy really looked him in the eyes, "do not, ever, tell anyone I helped you. Don't even tell anyone you've ever even been here. This never happened."

They both nodded, Nico just said, "Don't be a coward when the time comes."

Draco was breathing more steadily now, probably in an attempt to regain his composure, "How do you want to get out?" He asked warily.

"Trust me, I can." Answered Nico instead of explaining anything and tilted his head, fixating a point in his mind.

"Nico, that's dangerous!" He tried to stop him, but he couldn't force him not to use his powers. There was no other way.

"Trust me," Nico insisted again. "You, go, make sure no one gets suspicious," he ordered Draco before he held out his hand for Will to grip.

Draco looked at them with wide eyes, "Why?" He asked and suspicion was rising in his voice.

"Because I took this," revealed Nico and held up the small book with a sly smirk.

Draco took a few steps back, "I hope I never see you again," he called after them as Will finally took Nico's hand and felt himself be harshly thrown through shadows. They vanished.

When Will opened his eyes again, they stood on the brink of the forest, the mansion still visible behind them. Nico was gasping for air and he could discern the first cloaked figures leaving the house. 

________________________________________  
Ginny

After the tension of the previous night, breakfast was strangely calm. Perhaps they all just couldn't take any more drama.

Percy and Harry seemed a little hungover but they both were happier and much more at ease. Annabeth still clung to Percy like her life depended on it though. 

The kitchen seemed brighter than the previous days, all thirteen kids and Remus were having breakfast together with Sirius and Mom and Dad. Tonks had left the night before but left a note for Frank.

When Mom asked her what was wrong, Annabeth offered her a tired smile. 'Nightmares' she told her, which was kind of like calling Big Ben a grandfather clock, they all exchanged conspirational grins.

Once Mom left the kitchen, George dropped his head in his hands and laughed, "this is all so messed up."

The others laughed with him, Fred clapped one hand on his brothers back. 

Looking mildly disturbed Sirius asked, "did I miss something?" Which just made them laugh even more. 

Remus chuckled and rubbed his eyes tiredly, "just some team bonding exercises," he deadpanned. 

Ginny snorted, Frank almost choked on his cereal. Ron grimaced like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to laugh.

Leo grinned, "tension was running high at one point, but don't worry they hugged it out in the end."

The collective groaning that followed just made Leo grin even wider. Between bites of breakfast, Sirius eyed them, "still feeling like I missed something. It's fine, just don't tell me," he grumbled.

"Ah don't be such a drama queen Padfoot," said Remus lightly, "today's supposed to be a nice day, I haven't been to Diagon Alley in ages."

Today they'd do their shopping for the coming school year and they had seven people to shop for who had the shopping lists of first years. They needed wands, cloaks, an owl for the group to share, and every other essential that the rest of them hadn't worried about buying in a long time.

They'd have to explain to Ollivander why these seven all needed wands and to Madam Malkin why none of them knew which house robes they needed. It would be fun.

Hazel was studying her Hogwarts letter and asking occasional questions about the items they had to buy. Harry and Hermione were explaining to the seven what they might want to avoid while shopping in the wizarding world and Ginny was just glad to see everyone so relaxed.

The rest of the breakfast they spent going over the exchange student cover story they had thought out. If anybody asked, they were from Ilvermorny and each one of them had memorized the name of an Ilvermorny house in case someone was really suspicious. Hopefully, that would allow them to pass all other oddities off as cultural differences.

They could also use that excuse to justify that all of the seven were in their fifth year despite technically being too old. The American school system was just so different that the schedule of the fifth year was more suitable for the education they had received so far. Wasn't that practical?

"We could say our wands broke during our travel to get here. Go all-in on the exchange student thing?" Mused Leo.

Ginny frowned, not exactly a likely cover. 

________________________________________

Hazel

Two hours later, their bizarre group was standing right behind the magical entrance to Diagon Alley. Seven Demigods and eleven wizards, twelve if you counted the big black dog following Harry closely.

Gaping in awe at the street in front of her, Hazel wondered why they had worried about blending in at all. Sure, they were by far the biggest group around but Diagon Alley was bursting with life. 

People of all ages, sizes, and colors were trickling by looking somewhere between stressed and happy. Most of them were families doing last minute shopping for the school year, she figured, just like them. She felt her heart swell with joy, there was something inherently beautiful about the scene.

In one corner, a young woman with blue hair and a magenta cloak was selling brightly colored spinning tops that flew when activated. Further down the street an exhausted family packed with book bags was making their way towards an ice cream salon. 

Witches and wizards were everywhere, and it was the first time Hazel understood the size of this new world she was moving in. New Rome didn't have a street like that. There was nothing comparative in size for demigods, but wizards were a people big enough to fill their own country while there were just enough demigods for two camps.

This was huge and her head was spinning as she began to understand. All the places her friends had mentioned throughout the last two days, villages, schools, shopping streets, only now she saw how big it all really was. Only now they became real for her.

The other six were just as awestruck as she was. Hermione grinned at them knowingly while pointing out her favorite shops.

Mrs. Weasley was animatedly listing all the places they had to visit and they quickly decided to split up. They couldn't all go into every shop, they'd hardly all fit in most shops. 

Mrs.Weasley promptly began to sort them into groups, "Fred and George, you can take the first group. Jason, Piper, Frank you will go with them," she decided. 

"Your first stop is the Apothecary to get potion ingredients. Then you can head to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Do you know what you need from there? We'll meet you in an hour and a half at Florian Fortescue's, does that work?"

The twins eagerly nodded at each sentence and were about to take off when she stopped them.

"No trips down knockturn alley, no detours. Understood? You know how to safely shrink all the cauldrons to transportation size? Good. Please be careful," she reminded them.

They rolled their eyes, but Mrs.Weasley who was frantically checking her cloak pockets didn't notice. She muttered for them to wait.

"Let me check the note Dumbledore passed on from Chiron again," she said to no one in particular. She pulled a wrinkled piece of parchment out of her pocket and studied it, "I knew I forgot something! It says to buy all school supplies for nine of you! Do you know what that's about?" She looked up, a puzzled expression on her face.

Hazel felt herself light up, there was only one explanation. She glanced at the others who were also happily regarding the news.

"That means Nico and Will are actually going to join us at school then, I suppose," she answered cheerfully.

"Well, that shouldn't be too much trouble," Mrs.Weasley picked up on their good mood and smiled motherly at them. 

She handed pouches with wizard money to all of the seven, "Chiron's treat," she explained, "should be enough for everything you need."

After warning them a couple hundred times to be careful with the money she continued, "Next group; Harry, Ron, Hazel, and Leo, you're with Arthur. Your first stop is the magical menagerie to get an owl for the seven of you."

Now that was great news, Hazel always thought owls were fascinating. Annabeth and Frank looked like they'd like to change groups but Mrs.Weasley went on so hastily that they didn't get the chance.

"Then get most of the basic supplies like quills and parchment and such at Scribbulus," she recounted, eyes firmly trained on her shopping list, pointing at a blue shopfront a few steps away without looking up.

Hazel strongly suspected she was forming the groups in the manner she believed would cause the least trouble. She had effectively removed Leo from the twins and separated Percy and Harry. Probably not a coincidence.

"Then that's Hermione, Ginny, Annabeth, and Percy with me. We're going to get the books at Flourish and Blott's, that should take a while. Once everyone is back at Florian Fortescue's, we will all go to get your wands and to Madam Malkins.

She clapped, "now that's settled," she exclaimed like they had had a choice. "We'll see you in one and a half hours, be on time!"

Just like that, she disappeared between the hoards of people. Hermione, Ginny, Annabeth, and a rather disgruntled looking Percy had no option but to follow her.

Ron let out a quiet whoop, "that's the first time that I don't have to help with the books," he said joyfully. 

Leo snorted, "yeah, Percy didn't look too happy. Book shopping with Annabeth and Hermione? That's tough.

"but not our problem," said Fred.   
"See you later," said George.

With matching smirks they vanished down the road, Jason, Piper, and Frank at their heels. Hazel could have sworn she heard them discussing which detour to take first and was fairly certain she had caught the name 'Knockturn Alley'. She decided not to think too hard about it, the entire street seemed relatively safe and the twins clearly knew where they were going.

That left her with Mr.Weasley, Lupin, Harry, Ron, Leo, and a big black dog. She knew it was Sirius but the wizards hadn't officially told her so yet, she thought it wouldn't be polite to ask. They made their way to their first shop, quietly chatting as they pushed past the masses of people.

Hazel was rarely bothered by her size but today was one of those days. She just couldn't see anything through the people and it was endlessly frustrating. She huffed and tried to stand on the tips of her toes every now and then.

Eventually, Ron took pity on her and told her to stick to him. He did a pretty decent job at clearing the path and of course entirely unrelated to that, Leo, who wasn't much taller than her, began following her more closely.

________________________________________

Percy

Flourish and Blots was a fascinating place. Never in his life had Percy been in such an animated book shop. Annabeth insisted that all book shops were great and he usually disagreed, but not this time.

Some books could talk, others opened to the page you'd find most useful without being touched, some spellbooks were a triangular shape. At the front of the shop was a cage with snarling, many-eyed, green things and Percy's first instinct was to kill them when Hermione told him that they too were books.

"We used them in our third year, you have to pet the back to get them to calm down before you can read them," she told him while pulling 12 identical charms books out of a shelf and neatly placing them in their basket.

"They got banned for a while though because too many students got bitten," she added absentmindedly and went on to the next shelf.

"Wait, not just are they books? They are school books?" He clarified, maybe classes at Hogwarts would be more interesting than anticipated.

Ginny came up behind them, "yup, for care of magical creatures," she chimed in and set to helping Hermione.

They had lost Annabeth the second they walked through the door, Mrs.Weasley seemed to find it amusing and let her be. "Just like you when we first met you, Hermione dear," she chuckled and went to talk to the shop owner.

All three of them were packed with books in no time. Yet, Percy was glad that they hadn't attempted to bring their entire group into the book store. Dozens of families were squeezing past each other and the line to the register was the shape of a snails shell.

So far they had gotten only a handful of strange looks for the number of books they were carrying. Most people simply were too busy with their own shopping to care. 

Ginny and Hermione got caught up talking to a dorky looking guy who was in their house at school. They quickly took the chance to spread the exchange student cover story and introduced Percy while catching up on how their summer had been.

He didn't particularly care to be showed off like that but it was necessary for their cover. The guy who had introduced himself as Neville seemed nice enough, but he got dragged away by an elderly woman who must be his grandmother pretty quickly.

The stern-looking old lady rather rudely told her grandson not to bother anyone as she pulled him away. Hermione and Ginny tried to make it a point to let her know that they were friends of Nevilles, who smiled gratefully even though grandma miserable didn't seem to buy it.

After spending half an eternity in line for the register, Annabeth caught up with them again. She had a wonderful gleam in her eyes and excitedly chatted with Hermione about the books she had found.

Ginny shook her head at them, "I wish I could have gone to the Quidditch Shop with the others," she sighed. 

Percy arched one eyebrow at her, "you play too?" He asked, just to talk about something other than ancient runes like the two next to him. 

They had barely started talking when a loud and unpleasant voice behind them drawled, "Mr.Potter, still associating with the wrong sort I see."

A man in his mid-forties with long platinum hair, an expensive-looking black cloak, and a ridiculously embellished walking cane stood behind them, glaring down at Ginny with distaste. To his side stood a boy who had to be his son, equally polished and sneering at them like his father, if less maliciously.

It took him a split second to realize that the man had confused him with Harry and only half of that to realize that he was insulting the Weasleys. He whipped around and for just a moment he saw the man's mask slip when he realized his mistake.

With his best disgusted expression, Percy seized them up, "I'm not Harry. And you are not what I'd call good company."

The man pursed his lips, "My mistake, sad to see they lured in another person. I believed only Potter was that stupid." He was about to turn around and called for his son who was still staring at them with hatred.

"The Weaselette certainly has a type," drawled the boy as he looked at Percy.

If Percy was honest, the boy looked like he was trying a little too hard to be like his father, like he didn't actually mean it.

Percy just rolled his eyes, by now he had a pretty good idea who they were, "you're just mad that you're nobody's type," he told the boy and turned back around.

That was probably not the truth but it was exactly the type of thing that got a rise out of someone so focused on their image. He smirked when he heard the guy stifle a gasp. Ginny, Annabeth, and Hermione giggled. 

Then the lane moved forward and he caught a last glimpse of the scowling boy who was being assured by his father that the Weasley's opinions didn't matter. What a loser, thought Percy, and moved on.

"So that were the Malfoys, I'm assuming," Annabeth said what he had been thinking.

Hermione and Ginny nodded grimly, Annabeth turned to Hermione, "tell me again how you punched him in third year?" She asked innocently. They chuckled. 

Percy was still watching Ginny, a faint blush was traveling up her neck and she was twirling a long strand of red hair between her fingers.

"So, you and Harry?" He inquired eventually when the silence began to stretch on.

"It's not like that!" Insisted Ginny, though Percy noted that Hermione pointedly said nothing. 

'It's not officially like that', he thought and made a mental note to ask Harry about her. Not that he usually meddled with other people's relationships but Ginny seemed tough and Harry could use someone by his side. It couldn't hurt to ask.

Once they had managed to reach the register and bought the 5th-year school books times 12, two sets of 6th-year books for the twins and one set of 4th-year books for Ginny, they fled the place. The salesman asked them no less than eight times if they were sure their numbers were correct and the line behind them grumbled unhappily about how long they took.

Once outside, the fresh summer air pleasantly woke him out of his dusty book store induced daze. Mrs.Weasley checked the time and they hurried on to the Ice Cream Parlor, already being five minutes late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thank you for reading,  
> sorry about the late update, the chapter is a little longer to make up for it though!  
> I hope you enjoyed it, we're getting closer to Hogwarts!  
> I've finally decided on all of the Hogwarts houses and I've written a small explanation for each, which is partially why the chapter is late.  
> If you guys are interested, I'll post my explanations for how I chose the houses as a separate chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16, Piper

Naturally, the first place the twins dragged them was the one they were forbidden from going; knockturn alley.

Silhouettes shrouded in long hooded cloaks despite the warm weather hurried past them. Fred and George were entirely unbothered by that, they darted right to a line of murky shops that among other things also sold potions supplies.

The things that weren't on their list that the twins bought didn't make any sense to Piper. What their little excursion did do, was give her a taste of what the darker parts of the wizarding world looked like. 

For demigods, dark places meant caves full of monsters, brightly colored department stores run by ghosts luring you in, the palaces of malicious minor gods. 

For wizards, dark places were right next to the light ones. Dubious figures selling untrustworthy potions, politicians in the midst of their good counterparts, a trap at the end of a school competition. As a demigod, you knew when you went on a quest, but as a wizard, you could never be sure when the darkness got you.

Paying close attention she felt as if this was strangely familiar terrain. This was a quest after all, and quests rarely took place around a nice family's kitchen table.

When they made their way back into Diagon Alley with numerous bags of potion supplies, Piper almost couldn't believe nothing bad had occurred. Jason and Frank were equally wary. Yet the only thing out of the norm they had faced was a cupboard that had grown arms and reached for Frank. Jason cut the arms clean off with his gladius, the shop owner chuckled and assured them the arms would grow back.

Back in the brightly lit main street with its happy families and crowded stores, Piper felt out of place. In a good way, if that's possible like she didn't belong yet but she wanted to. 

Getting the Quidditch gear didn't take nearly as long. The twins knew what they needed and even though they longingly stared at some other stuff they left fairly quickly. They took the time to explain the different balls and positions to them but before they knew it they were on their way to the Ice Cream place. Fred and George tried to convince them of another detour but this time Jason put his foot down. 

Jason and Piper held hands like any normal couple as they strolled down the cobblestone street. Every few steps somebody would stop them to talk to Fred and George. The twins seemed to be popular or at least very well known at their school. Every time they'd introduce Piper, Jason, and Frank as 'the new exchange students' for their cover's sake. 

From the last conversation, with a pretty girl named Angelina, she gathered that the twins had a well going underground business for their joke products at school. Piper grinned at that, she could appreciate a well thought out business idea, especially one that would make teachers mad if they knew about it.

They had almost reached their destination, when a boy their age, with dreadlocks and the widest smile she had ever seen, jumped in their way. He greeted the twins enthusiastically with a bone-crushing hug each. 

Other than most people they met, he was clever enough to not address them directly and made it clear he was happy to see both of them no matter who was who. They chatted about Quidditch for a while before parting ways again, "see you in school Lee," said Fred and George as one, waving after him with matching mischievous grins. Something told Piper that if someone helped them with their pranks, it was probably him.

Even from a distance, Piper could tell that Leo, Hazel, Harry, Ron, and Mr.Weasley were already there. Why? Because the marquis of the storefront was burning. Beneath it sat Leo, looking as inconspicuous as he could.

They hurried over to see if they could help put out the small fire but the wizards had it under control. Not just were the flames gone in seconds, but any damage they might have caused had been fixed as well by the time they got there. 

Also notable was that somehow the others had actually convinced the owner to put together a table for sixteen people. 

They sat down with the others and Frank was delighted to meet the owl Hazel had chosen. A beautiful grey animal that almost looked like Athena's trademark owl with intelligent eyes. She was pretty sure Frank would change into an owl later and see if he could talk to it. 

Mr.Weasley checked their potions supplies while Ron and Harry were decidedly more interested in the Quidditch Gear. After a while of listening to Ron complain about not being on the team, she zoned out. 

At last, Mrs. Weasley appeared around a corner with Percy, Annabeth, Hermione, and Ginny in tow. Piper was delighted to see that they were only carrying one bag each. It couldn't be that many books, she thought with relief.

As soon as they reached them, she knew how wrong she'd been, having temporarily forgotten about shrinking charms. Hermione put her bag on the table in front of her and it landed with a horrifyingly deep 'thunk'. The sound was followed by four more of its kind when the others put down their bags.

Percy groaned as he sat down and she shot him a worried glance. Reading with dyslexia was no fun at all. He grimaced in her direction having understood her silent question and Piper slumped in her chair. Lovely, school work they were five years behind on.

Annabeth took the place across from Percy, "does it smell of smoke here or us that just me?" She asked, scrunching up her nose.

"No, it doesn't!" Yelped Leo, the others chuckled.

Soon they were comparing their shopping success over bowls of what was easily the best ice cream Piper had ever eaten. Whoever came up with the stereotype that British food wasn't good, needed to come and try this place.

It was a hot summer day and after trudging through dusty shops and masses of people, the ice was a pleasant contrast. 

They traded tales and she was almost disappointed to learn that Percy's group had run into the Malfoys. Especially because she couldn't share their trip down knockturn alley with the adults so close by.

Percy and Hermione gave a quick blow by blow recount of the conversation, Ron and Harry glared in response. For some reason, Ginny was blushing and Piper was pretty sure her friends had left something out. She made a mental note to ask them later.

"I told you Malfoy is the worst," said Ron between mouths full of ice cream. At least she guessed that was what he said.

Harry was more hung up about the fact that the Malfoys had confused him with Percy, who just shook his head.

"I think they recognized Ginny and just saw my black hair. The old Malfoy at least looked damn stupid when I turned around," he explained while gesturing with his spoon.

All Weasleys unhappily regarded the news and checked Ginny's bag once again. Piper didn't know what they were checking for but she felt like asking would hit a sore spot she didn't want to come close to. Ginny herself looked rather uneasy.

Exchanging a glance with Jason, she knew they'd have to ask at one point. But not now, they agreed silently. It surely had already been an informative day.  
________________________________________

Jason

There was only one stop left for the day; Madam Malkins Cloaks for all occasions. 

Unsure how he felt about wearing a cloak, he followed the others into the shop. It was by far the roomiest one they had been in all day, he noticed. The lighting was better than that in most shops too.

A short woman with spikey gray hair advanced on them the second they entered the store. She introduced herself as the Madam Malkins and politely nudged them towards the back of the store to take everyone's measurements.

Moments later the seven found themselves on separate pedestals, being poked and seized up by magical measuring tape. Uncomfortable for anyone who was used to keeping their personal space, but by far not as uncomfortable as the mortal way of doing that.

Discussing what they needed with Mrs.Weasley, Madam Malkin lazily waved her wand in the direction of the store and the right items came flying towards her. The others who knew what they needed were roaming the front of the store, collecting the items by hand.

It was a fairly short ordeal and Jason was somewhat glad that he didn't have to try on the school uniform. It looked weird to him, the other six also eyed their uniforms with distaste. 

He tried to imagine fighting in the white button-down and pullover combination he was being shown and shuddered. 

Leo and Piper had cornered Hermione and he had the sneaking suspicion that they were pestering her with these very concerns. Piper picked at one of her new blouses with disgust. He sighed, they would have to arrange themselves with it. 

Personally, he thought Piper if anyone would look cute in the uniform but since he knew of her hatred for all forms of fashion he decided against saying anything.

Another thing he hadn't considered before was the weather in England. New Rome was always sunny, but the number of thick pullovers and winter clothing they seemed to need, concerned him. Even the scarves had to match the uniform. Right now, his scarf was still grey and he was beginning to wonder which color it would take.

The wizards had explained the houses dozens of times to them all, still, he felt as if he only really knew a lot about Gryffindor. He imagined himself with a red and gold scarf and wondered if he'd fit in. 

Never before did he have to worry about fitting in at a school but the way the Weasleys spoke about Gryffindor made him want to be a part if it.  
_________________________________

Hermione

Leaving Madam Malkins, Hermione found herself once again endlessly grateful for magic. The amount of school supplies and clothes they had with them would otherwise have been impossible to carry. 

Luckily Madam Malkins had bought the exchange student rouse without a second glance. So now the seven were equipped with the first-year standard wardrobe that took a color once their owners were sorted, while the rest of them had stocked up on last year's clothes.

The demigods hadn't been too happy about the school uniforms, insisting they weren't practical in a fight. Leo asked if they were at least fireproof, which got him a curious glance from Madam Malkin who instantly began berating them about the dangers of fights and fire. Hermione had managed to calm the demigods a little by promising them she'd look up spells to make their clothes fireproof and extra durable.

Now began the part she was anxious for, Ollivanders. It happened that careless wizards broke their wands, but for that to happen to all seven of them at the same time did appear rather unlikely. They muttered quietly amongst themselves until they reached the shopfront that read; Ollivanders Wands since 382 b.c. Her heart raced a little, maybe out of nostalgia.

When she was eleven years old, she struggled to believe that she was really a witch. Up until the point when she first held her wand, then it all became real. It was most likely one of the best moments of her life. Remembering it even four years later still made her smile.

Three steps away from the door, it all got strange. Even for Hermione's who basically lived in the world of strange, this was almost too much.

Hazel stopped dead in her tracks and exclaimed, "follow the ferret," whatever that meant. Next, they knew, Hazel ran down the street away from them after something fuzzy and grey. The other six demigods appeared to understand what she was doing because they took off after her. 

Hermione exchanged a confused glance with Ron and Harry but since they didn't have anything better to do, they charged after the demigods, Fred, George, and Ginny right at their heels. They all ignored Mr. and Mrs.Weasleys loud protests in an attempt not to lose sight of their friends.

It was hard to keep up, her heart hammered in her chest and her lungs burned like crazy. The demigods were unbelievably fast.

Just when she was about to give up, she followed Leo around a corner and found herself in a small alley she had never seen or noticed before. The seven had stopped running as well. Harry and Ron came to a halt behind her, Ron panted, "what the bloody hell was that about?" just as the twins and Ginny joined them.

"That ferret belongs to Hecate. I'd avoid it though, it stinks," explained Hazel.

Hermione's thoughts now raced faster than her heart. Hecate, the goddess of magic. 'What did she want?' And 'Was she here?' were only at the top of her list, closely followed by, 'why a ferret?'

A young woman, more beautiful than any mortal could wish to be, melted out of the brick wall at the end of the alley. Her long jet black hair was smooth like oil and framed her fine-featured face. Glowing purple eyes fixated all of them, her emerald green gown belonged on a red carpet and not in an abandoned alley.

Hermione's eyes burned when looking at her but she didn't dare lower her gaze. The ferret scrambled up Hecate's floor-length gown and got comfortable on her shoulder.

Jason took an uncertain step forward, "Lady Trivia," he said at the same time as Percy said, "Hecate."

The goddess flinched, "In this shape, I am Hecate, not Trivia. You will excuse me, heroes of Rome. This is a quest of magic, which belongs to my Greek self."

She fixated them without any emotion, "We have little time, do not interrupt me. I rarely send Heroes on quests, yet I see this as my best choice for the time being. The wizards, my legacies and blessed, you will work with are worthy," she declared.

Hermione's wonder was slowly turning into the kind of irritation she felt whenever someone demanded not to be questioned. But the idea that this was an actual goddess kept her calm, surely she would be able to offer them some real help.

"Their power is different from yours yet it is equal. The evil you must face is also a legacy of mine, but one too powerful. One whose existence I did not want or help. He has cheated death, he is turning himself into a dark god, you need to stop him before he becomes indestructible," she warned, still sounding like it hardly concerned her. 

Hecates' next words got resentment to thoroughly poison Hermione's spirit.

"I have not directly granted him his powers so I cannot take them away, and after today, I will not be able to help you," she revealed.

So much about all-powerful gods, she thought bitterly. What was she even doing here, doing nothing but make them aware of how truly and utterly on their own they were.

Her melodic voice betrayed no regret when she went on, "Zeus is not at all pleased that I have created a people that doesn't worship Olympus despite getting their power from us. One that he knew nothing of none the less, he sees it as a ploy for power over him. He was unaware of the wizarding world till very recently and he has forbidden all of the gods from helping you."

The seven shifted uneasily, exchanging sorrowful glances. There obviously was more than one bad indication behind that statement.

Hecate uncaringly went on, "I wish to protect my children and have chosen to take the risk of warning you. You too will soon have to make many choices. Hard ones. I am also the goddess of crossroads and I see numerous in your future. This is my world, do not forget it."

At this point, Hermione wouldn't be surprised if the seven decided to pack their bags and leave. Nor would she blame them. This woman who had caused them all to be here evidently did not care what happened to any of them. Especially the demigods meant nothing to her. For the wizards, she only cared because they were her creation.

"I have brought my last assistance to you," she waved her hand and before her, 9 wands floated into existence, including wand boxes beneath them.

Admittedly, that might be helpful, Hermione thought begrudgingly. If only because it meant they didn't have to explain to Ollivander why brand new wands changed shape once the demigods touched them. She hoped her defiance regarding Hecate wasn't too, obvious. Being smitten by a goddess before the school year even began would be less than ideal.

"If you choose wisely, you will be allowed to keep them once your quest is complete, as a sign of my gratitude. I am placing my hope in you, demigods and wizards here alike, do not disappoint me," she warned.

That was the most emotion she had heard from her the entire time if a threatening tone counted as emotion.

"Hazel, I have chosen to be your patron before. I trust you to find the right approach, you know how the crossroads work. My magic will still be strongest within you, do not forget that," she didn't look at Hazel.

This time Hermione suspected a hint of worry in her gaze, though she didn't understand why. Hazel listened calmly and with her lips pursed, she nodded.

Hecate lifted three fingers and three purple glass marbles shimmered into existence. "In the most desperate of times, chose your allies using these."

The marbles flew towards Hazel, who caught them with ease.

"I so rarely visit this world for fear of the other god's discovery. But now that I am here already, children step forth," she regarded the wizards with open arms.

"Mrs.Granger, I remember you well. Scarcely has there been a mortal as worthy of my blessing as you. No matter which route you'd choose for your life, I knew you'd remain worthy. Best of luck."

Hermione knew she was supposed to feel grateful, yet there was the nagging suspicion that to the goddess she was hardly more than a priced racing horse. It cut off her throat, to know that the only reason she was a witch was this Lady's gambling habit. 

She turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter, I cannot claim the honors of having selected you. I have selected your mother but I am proud also of her choices and of yours. Even if passed down, there sometimes is a price to pay for my gift, it is a shame that price has been bestowed upon you."

As if that had nothing to do with her neglect, thought Hermione.  
Harry's expression darkened and she couldn't blame him. For him, this was nothing but another vague promise from an adult he couldn't really trust. No help, no advice, just another person who wanted to claim his fame as their doing.

Ron was still looking up at her with an awestruck expression when she spoke to him, "Mr. Weasley, a true one of your kind. From one of the oldest families with the deepest magical roots. You too are more than worthy to represent your kind. Loyalty is a choice rewarded highly," she told him, which was about as useful as saying 'the sky is blue,' in Hermione's opinion. 

She was beginning to see where that subtle frustration the seven all carried with them came from. If they dealt with the gods regularly and they all were like that, it was a wonder that they hadn't gone insane.

"I cannot offer the three of you additional help since you already have my blessing, which is why I have chosen to send these seven heroes to your assistance. Two more will follow, which I admittedly hadn't considered a likely path for this," she trailed off.

"but none the matter, all I can say to the three of you," she gestured towards Fred, George, and Ginny, "is stay true to your ideals, that too is a choice. And trust Harry Potter. All of you. I can not determine a successful path yet, only he can."

Harry looked about ready to punch her, which might be connected to the fact that the goddess was beginning to sound like Dumbledore, who they all had been increasingly irritated with as of late.

"Heroes it is fair to warn you, your parents are not happy you have accepted this quest. Zeus especially is wary of this endeavor. There is a path where he won't smite you in the end, find it. Take your weapons, and prove I have taken the right gamble with you."

She vanished in a cloud of glittery black smoke. The wands still floated in the air.

Percy grumbled about typical god moves and not being allowed to ask questions or ever getting useful instead of vague information. Annabeth curiously examined the wands, upon closer inspection, Hermione saw that each one of them was unique.

The wand on the far left was made of white and grey marble, with a tiny owl figure attached to its hilt. Annabeth slowly closed her fingers around it, staring at the owl in awe.

The other six stepped forward, Hermione had no time to look more closely at the other wands. All six demigods seemed to know exactly which one belonged to them.

She tried to move but it was as if her feet had been glued to the pavement, Harry, Ron, the twins, and Ginny didn't seem to be doing much better. If meeting the goddess had done one thing, it was complete the culture shock for them. This was real.

This was real, and in the best-case scenario, the seven were Hecate's help. But it was still Harry who had to find the right path for them and it worried her endlessly. She trusted him with her life, but with the life of the entire wizarding world? She sighed shakily and reminded herself that believing in Harry would be vital.

Just as Hazel packed the remaining two wands, the others seemed to be coming out of their freeze.

Ron shook his head, "that was an actual goddess," realized with a gobsmacked expression.

Harry grumbled about how helpful she had been, the twins had decided that Hecate's words to them meant they needed to prank even more people.

Ginny rushed over to the seven to examine their wands, and once Hermione could move again she joined her.  
________________________________________

Harry

The encounter with the goddess had left him in a foul mood. The demigods were uneasy about possibly angering their parents and Harry resented that a goddess put her trust in him instead of helping.

Reuniting with Mr. and Mrs.Weasley hadn't help either. After taking a fifteen-minute yelling from Rons Mom, they managed to explain what happened. The Weasleys were about to berate them for lying as well when the seven showed off their new wands.

Mrs.Weasley went quiet. She couldn't exactly argue against the will of a goddess but she huffed unhappily and nobody dared to joke for the rest of the day. Hearing what Hecate said about her children calmed her a little, but it was far from good.

When they got back to Grimmauld Place, everyone was exhausted. They dragged themselves into the kitchen and collapsed around the table. A mountain of school supplies that needed to be sorted in front of them. 

Safe for Sirius who as a dog had much better endurance. He transformed back into himself, not caring about the stares of the seven and demanded to inspect their new wands. It was clear that they weren't really wizards simply by how willingly they gave up their wands. 

Each wand box featured a list of materials that were cooperated in the wands. They all had aspects of celestial bronze or imperial gold, additionally to a traditional magical core, Harry learned. It wasn't common for wands to have metal in them but Leo was convinced it was necessary so the demigods could use them. 

Frank read aloud, "imperial gold catalyst, dragon heartstring core, maple tree wood," he halted, "maple tree wood? Sure, make fun of the one Canadian in the group," he snorted. 

His wand was dark, the tip gleamed blood red and the handle looked solidly golden. Simple, straight, and powerful. A few harsh red and golden lines shot through the wood, giving it an edgy appearance. Harry assumed that the red was a reference to Franks Dad but in combination with the gold it looked like it was Gryffindor themed to him.

Sirius examined it in the light, "looks like a dueling wand to me, favoring offense," he frowned, "I think."

He didn't need to say more, they all knew that it was hard to guess with wands so far from the norm. Made by a goddess on top of that.  
Piper sat across from him and listened to Hermione who was listing all the spells they needed to know. How the seven would learn all of that in two days before they were on their way to Hogwarts, Harry had no clue.

Leo who had also been listening seemed to get bored. He turned away with a huff and attempted to make his water cup float. He fixated the cup, biting his tongue, "wingardium leviosa," he mumbled.   
To everyone's surprise, it worked. The cup propelled through the air with way too much force, Annabeth and Hermione got an unwanted shower and the rest of them almost lay on the floor laughing. Percy was so nice as to collect the water for them when the cup finally fell onto the table with a loud clang.

These seven needed to learn to control their powers, badly. Despite the impending chaos, Harry smiled. Hermione instantly began gushing excitedly about how getting that right on the first try was a good sing.

Not even ten minutes later, various pieces of furniture were floating around as all of the seven began testing their powers. Mrs.Wealey shrieked when she entered the kitchen and found Percy and Leo trying to levitate all cups in the room into a rather unstable statue. Frank had successfully levitated one of Annabeth's school books out of her reach. Annabeth, in turn, was levitating a small cauldron to try and knock the book out of the air.

Hermione was right, the seven were extraordinarily good, considering they should be on the level of a first-year. 

The twins were taking bets on how high Leo and Percy could build their statue, Annabeth lectured them about architectural stability while fighting for her book with frighteningly good aim. Hazel and Piper were placing one of Annabeth's other books after the next on top of the highest kitchen shelf while she was distracted.

Remus and Sirius were having a great time advising the young wizards on their techniques. Harry leaned back and watched. Mrs.Weasley walked backward out of the kitchen and closed the door, her expression read, 'not today.'  
________________________________________

Nico  
(The previous night)

Slipping in and out of consciousness he did his best to hold himself upright. They found the path the strange boy had described, just a little too late. 

One of the traps, an invisible force field, was easily dismantled. Will found the cursed stone that was its source and Nico let the earth swallow it.

Yet, that was when it all went wrong. For five wonderful minutes, they believed they had gotten away. Sure it wasn't a success without the snake, but they were alive. And in the book Nico had taken might be a hint where they could go searching for it. Then they started hearing them.  
Voices, many of them, from every direction. The shadowtravel had taken too much out of him, he had no time to regenerate. Cursing silently he began running as well as he could while still mostly relying on Will. He prayed to his Dad that the darkness of the night would cover them.

He had gotten them into this mess and he'd get them out. Will wouldn't get hurt because of him, he decided. The voices got louder, sounded nearer. Nico thought he heard footsteps but it was hard to tell through their own panting.

In the distance, a ray of blue light flared between the trees. It silhouetted indistinct figures searching through the night. A red flash of light followed, this one much closer. Nico had the vague idea that being hit by one of them would be a problem.

This, he thought bitterly, was exactly why he should have stayed away from Will. They were both in danger, Will was in danger because of him. If he quested alone at least nobody else had to carry the consequences of his mistakes. Liking Will made him lose his rationality he realized. He wanted Will with him so he ignored the danger that would indicate. Never again, he had to stay away.

His lungs were burning, he could hardly think. There were bigger spaces between the trees, he thought he saw the light of a street lantern, hope flared up in his chest. He could do it, Will wouldn't get hurt.

Then a green flash of light soared past his ear. A shrill but out of breath woman's voice yelled, "I found them, they're here!" She laughed uncontrollably, sounding utterly insane. 

Nico saw the street behind the forest, something told him they wouldn't hunt them out in the open. Another flash of light, and another, voices shouting foreign words from every direction, one bellowed, "they are escaping!"

When Nico turned to see their pursuers. A woman with wide eyes and black hair aimed a stick at Will, similar to the one Draco had threatened them with. She raced after them like her life's cause depended on it.

"They won't escape. We have to capture them, be sure they aren't important before we kill them," she commanded.

He just had the time to think, 'well shit,' when the Woman with her stick pointed at Will began to scream, "crucio."

He saw the light like in slow motion. He didn't know what it was but the maliciousness in her voice told him to act. Now. With his last strength, he leaped in front of Will, shielding him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi you guys! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!  
> Sorry (not sorry) for the cliff hanger.
> 
> Thank you for all the nice comments on the last chapter, your feedback is really important to me.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17, Percy

The next day was spent almost entirely on practicing magic. Hecates wands seemed to have a memory of their own, none of them could explain it but at least while they were holding the wands they seemed to know all the spells Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew. Odd but helpful, he decided.

What it didn't help them with was figuring out how much force to put behind what spell. To be honest, Percy found it all pretty confusing, how your tone of voice mattered for some spells while for others the wand movement was key. 

It was work with slow progress but something about it reminded him of what it had first been like to learn sword fighting. He tried not to dwell on that though.

Instead, he focused on what a surprisingly good teacher Harry was. Hermione knew all the technicalities and was rattling off information nonstop, which Annabeth seemed to enjoy. Harry, however, knew how to easily and efficiently explain something. Not in the way that they understood the background, but in the way that they got good results.

He thought he wasn't doing too shabby, which was confirmed when he looked over and saw Leo struggling. The whole principle wasn't mechanic enough for him, Percy supposed. 

Jason and Annabeth were also doing pretty good, Hazel was ahead of them all. Her only problem was to put some control behind her power. 

After training for a while, Percy frowned. All-day he hadn't seen Harry, Ron, or Hermione themselves do any magic. If he was thinking about it he was fairly certain he hadn't ever seen them do magic. 

When he questioned them, Hermione explained, "we're not allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts yet. The legal age limit is 17. I was actually surprised yesterday when you didn't get an angry ministry owl for all that levitating but I think your magic might not be on the radar because its different," she shrugged.

Harry crossed his arms, "I hadn't thought about that actually. Shouldn't their magic at least get us in trouble? That one time Dobby used some magic at my relative's house I got a warning I'd be expelled if that happened again."

Shaking her head Hermione answered, "with all the legal wizards here it wouldn't be noticeable as long as they themselves aren't registered as underage, at least that's my theory."

Of course, that started a long winding debate about magical law between Annabeth and Hermione. Percy shrugged, good enough of an explanation for him.

They continued their training for a while, covering all the basic spells they could think of and chatting about the previous day's events. 

One of the many mysteries they had to solve was what to do with the three glass marbles Hecate had given to Hazel. Of course, they hadn't come with a manual on how to use them. 

Not having heard back from Camp yet also made them uneasy. You could say about Apollo whatever you liked but his children were normally dependable. Not having a prophecy to work with felt a little like a betrayal because it was supposed to be the one constant to all quests. 

Having all of their parents against them also didn't bode well, but abandoning the wizards was out of the question. Jason especially seemed to struggle with the thought of his father's discontent.

Percy was fairly certain Poseidon would forgive him and Annabeth was past caring about her mother's opinion. Leo didn't care or didn't think about it and Frank and Piper weren't exactly happy about their parents anyways. Hazel was trying her best not to assume the worst but Jason didn't have much of a choice but to assume the worst. 

The day passed quickly, in a blur of magic training and packing. Before they knew it it was dark outside and Percy like so often was wondering how Camp was doing.  
________________________________________  
Nico

Excruciating mind-numbing pain set his every nerve on fire. Air was rushing past him and he was vaguely aware of being thrown around like a marionette on a single invisible string. 

All he could think was, 'at least it didn't hit Will,' as memories of Tartarus he had deeply buried threatened to rise. He might have been screaming but he honestly couldn't tell. Faintly and distantly he thought he heard Will call out for him, then everything went black. 

He didn't feel how he hit the ground, nor did he hear their pursuers evil laughter as they stalked towards them without a hurry. He didn't hear Will frantically begging him to wake up.

________________________________________

Will

He needed a miracle, like, right now. Nico was lying unconscious on the cold forest ground in front of him, he had maybe thirty seconds till they'd be caught once and for all.

He couldn't let that happen but at the same time, he was paralyzed with fear. He didn't know what they'd done to Nico but he didn't doubt they'd do it again to either one of them should he attempt to do something.

Kneeling next to his lifeless friend his healer instincts kicked in. He checked for a pulse and prayed to the gods. Feeling that Nico was at least alive he could think more clearly again.

Maybe fifteen seconds left. The next ray of light hit him, pain flared up in his shoulder and he was hit with such force he almost fell but whatever it was wasn't nearly as bad as what they'd done to Nico. Reality began to sink in with the pain.

There was nowhere he could escape to, still, he had to try. Carefully lifting Nico up into his arms he staggered a few steps away. Nico was luckily no were near as heavy as he should have been but Will didn't think he'd make it very far anyway. He'd always been a good runner and this time both their lives depended on it. Depended on him.

Holding Nico tightly to shield him from any new attacks he turned his back on their pursuers and ran. Not seeing what they were up to was a risk but he had to try. 

Terrible, shrill laughter followed them. The Woman who hurt Nico earlier was delighted that they tried to flee. She joked about the hunt being more fun that way and mocked how stupidly admirable it was of Will to try and help his friend. 

The ringing in his ears from pain and panic drowned her out and he was almost thankful for it. He felt the next ray of light approaching and sidestepped it, he was gaining speed but so were their pursuers. Nico was slowing him down too much and he didn't even know where he was going.

With growing desperation, he attempted to curve around as many trees as he could in order to avoid being hit. Without all the training and annual death races at camp, he'd be dead by now. 

Angry curses followed them as Will tried to gain some orientation or any idea where he could go but it was no use. He rounded another couple of trees and came face to face with four more people dressed in black cloaks. They were surrounded.

At the front stood a man with platinum blonde hair similar to Draco's and an evil smirk. He looked down on them as if it amused him.

Before Will could dart to the side, the others caught up with them and closed the circle. Nico was still unconscious slumped against his chest. Nico depended on him, he had to do something.

The man advanced on them with cruelty etched in his every featured, sneering down on them. "What do we have here?" He drawled.

Will swallowed heavily, he felt the urge to fall to his knees but he stood his ground. It wasn't over yet.

"Hand me your wands," the man commanded and the open confusion must have read on Will's face right away. 'Wands? What the hell was that guy talking about?'

"We don't have any", he ground out truthfully and hoped his voice wasn't shaking. 

The man scoffed, "it's a little late to try and make us believe you're just some worthless muggles. Your wands. Now."

Hysterical laughter almost escaped him, that man was a lunatic. Arguing with an insane person rarely did any good so instead, he said, "We lost them." An idea struck his mind, admittedly not a good one but he was grasping for straws here anyways.

Before he knew what he was doing he blurted, "I know your son. From school. If you hurt us I'll tell everyone it was you. Let us go now and no one will find out."

This would either save them or be their final demise but at least he tried. The man's eyes widened for a second and Will held his breath.

Then he stepped closer, cruel mask perfectly in place again, and lifted his walking cane to the height of Will's face.

"If we decide to hurt you," he mocked, "you won't tell anyone anything ever again." Using his cane to tilt Will's face to the side, he examined him.

"Who are you boy? What are you doing on this property? If you tell us how you got this far in the first place, we might make your death painless," his tone was full of false pitty. "Didn't know Dumbledore had already sunken low enough to send children as his spies." Several of the others surrounding them, 8 Will counted, were snickering about that.

The name Dumbledore rang a bell but he couldn't figure out how to use that information. All he had was another straw, "Dumbledore will know it was you if we don't come back," he attempted to sound steady.

The man's expression hardened, "so let him know. Enough of these games, the old fool can't help you here. If you don't want to talk we will have to motivate you." His gaze flickered down onto Nico's unconscious figure.

Will flinched and staggered a few steps back, holding Nico closer. By now his arms were burning with his weight but what did it matter? They'd both die here anyway.

"Maybe if we kill him first you will want to talk." It sounded more like a decision than a question and Will's heart hammered in his throat. 

"If you want me to talk let him live," Will attempted. What did it matter if they got him as long as Nico was fine? He didn't like the idea but he'd gladly let them get him if it meant Nico could go. He couldn't bear being responsible for his death.

His last hope was killed that instant, "Not how this works, boy. You had your chance," sneered Draco's father coldly. No wonder his son was a bit of a coward if he had grown up around that guy.

Perhaps he could take Nico's sword, stab at least one of them if they tried to attack. But he couldn't do that without putting Nico down first and then they'd take him. It was impossible.

Irritation flashed across the man's face, his long hair fell in his face and his eyes flashed dangerously. It shouldn't have taken him that long but that was when it all clicked into place. The sticks they were threatening them with were wands. They were some kind of sorcerers cult who found a way to catalyze their powers. For some reason, they had assumed Will and Nico were like them but from an opposing cult maybe.

His mind raced, the only way he knew to beat magic was to use stronger sorcery. Which he didn't have the power or the knowledge to do. If he bluntly attacked them he and Nico would be dead before he got one strike in. The sorcerers could attack from a distance, they knew where they were and there were more of them. It was hopeless.

If he could at least protect Nico, he thought desperately. Never in his life had he felt so useless. 

His wand trained on Nico the man advanced, he opened his mouth, "Avada-"

Will forcefully turned away and tried to break through the circle, he slumped himself over Nico as well as he could so they couldn't target him. 

When to his shock a wish he had made much earlier that day suddenly came true. The ground opened below him. 

Instead of running headfirst into their enemies in his ill-fated attempt to break free, he slid down an earthy slope below them. Nico still safely in his arms.

Normally he'd be concerned about being swallowed whole by the earth, especially after last year's war, but right now all he felt was a relief. He cheered mentally and let himself drop down the slope. Their capturers distressed howling growing faint in the distance. 

Only then did he begin to wonder how that had been possible. The earth closed above them the second they were through and they were shrouded in complete darkness. Yet it felt oddly safe, or at least safer than being above ground would be right now.

His whole body ached but he was just so happy that they had survived that he couldn't care less. He tried to check on Nico and his joy faltered, his situation hadn't changed.

After what felt like an eternity but couldn't have been more than ten minutes, they reached the end of the slide. Covered in dry earth and countless cuts and bruises from small stones they tumbled out into an underground cave. High stone walls surrounded them and a few torches lit the way.

Torches that burned with green fire, now he understood. They were in the domain of Nico's father. Briefly, the thought crossed his mind why his own father hadn't helped but that hardly mattered right now.

Glancing up he saw an unmistakable figure standing tall and imposing at the other end of the cave. Lord Hades himself.

Will didn't consider how to react, he had other priorities than thanking the god. Rummaging through his pockets he pulled out their last vial of Nektar. Sighing with relief he carefully propped Nico up against him and poured some of the golden liquid in his mouth.

Next, he began mumbling every healing incantation that came to mind. His powers weren't up to it and an unpleasant burning flared through him but his palms glowed goldenly and he pressed them against Nico's chest. This simply had to work.

"Son of Apollo, stand up," Hades ordered. Will ignored him.

Hades grumbled, "What is it with Heroes these days," then he sighed, "my son is not dead nor is he dying which means he will be fine. Stand up," he tried again.

Only now did Will notice how badly he was shaking, he bit back his emotions and carefully let go of Nico. Brushing the dirt off his clothes he got up to face the Lord of the Underworld.

"Thank you, Lord Hades," he said firmly, remembering how temperamental gods could be. He took another deep breath and hoped the god wouldn't smite him for his disrespect. He felt dangerously light-headed and the Lord of the Dead seized him up.

"You've shown courage," Hades admitted and Will was baffled. He had never felt less courageous.

Lightning struck outside and the torches flickered, Hades cursed. "My brother has once again forbidden all gods from helping. This time it is specifically your quest he despises." 

Hades looked up and continued more loudly, "Which I have told him a million times, I assigned to my son before I knew of the outrageous circumstances around it!" He glared at his ceiling and Will was beginning to think he might be dreaming.

Thunder rumbled outside and convinced him otherwise. Hades dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Either way, do not expect my help again. You have accepted this quest and you need to bring it to an end. When I assigned this to my son I was not aware that a different set of Heroes had sat out on what appears to be the same quest. I assume you know who they are?"

Will nodded, his head was spinning. Obviously, he was referring to Percy, Annabeth, and their friends. He and Nico were supposed to check in with them before they traveled back to camp, it looked like they'd be joining them instead.

Hades continued, now pacing the room with his arms crossed, "There was only one part of this quest that concerned me. Unfortunately, it is part of a bigger picture. I did not wish to subject my only two children to this but there is nothing I can do. Hecate's gambling habit might kill us all at one point."

Nico might not be scary to him, but his father sure was. His black eyes were cold and dead, the souls of dead evil seemed to be trapped in his black business suit. He should have been almost invisible in the pitch-black room, instead, he drew attention like a lethal neon sign. 

His eyes drilled into Will as if he was examining his soul, "Zeus will let your doings slip because the two of you are technically on a separate quest with a different background. I cannot promise the same for the seven other heroes."

Hades stopped his pacing right in front of Will and he suppressed the urge to flinch back. He was thankful for the bits of information, even if they weren't exactly promising. A bigger quest he could deal with. Not knowing what he was up against was what bothered him.

Hades still glared at him with distaste and Will supposed he would have preferred speaking with his son directly.

"I'm not sure if I see just yet why my son has chosen to take you with him, but I suppose it's better than setting out on his own again. Do not disappoint me. Or him. My son, like me, does not trust easily."

Hearing the warning in his voice, Will's mouth went dry and he wondered how much Hades knew. He quickly assured him that he'd do his best.

"It has been a long time since I was last quite so involved in the life of one of my children." With that final warning, Hades slowly stalked back to the entrance of the cave. He spared his son one last glance that Will couldn't decipher. 

"I cannot allow you deeper into my realm this time. Rest. Tomorrow, when the route is clear, a path back above will appear," he turned on his heels and vanished into shadows. 

Shuddering, Will examined his surroundings. He didn't doubt that it was safe if Hades said so but it couldn't hurt to check.

He paced the room, it was smaller than anticipated. Uneasiness settled in his bones, being trapped didn't sit well with him. Especially being trapped underground was less than ideal for a child of Apollo. 

Before he could dwell on the thought he reached the opposite walls and to his surprise he found two backpacks hanging there. He took them down excitedly, it didn't happen every day that you got a godly care package.

He lifted the two backpacks off their hooks and winced, whatever had hit his shoulder earlier was worse than anticipated. Groaning from the pain, he made his way back through the room and sat down next to Nico again.

His friend's pale complexion worried him and he was icy cold too. Turning one of the rucksacks over he was happy to find several vials of Nektar. He began treating Nico again and after taking a tiny swig of the golden liquid himself he was more comfortable with using his healing powers too. 

Nico didn't stir but the color returned to his face and his breathing became more steady. Will sighed and allowed himself to slump against the stone. They'd be fine he told himself. Right now all he could do was wait this out.

Alone with his thoughts, he felt even more trapped than before. He pulled Nico closer, it felt weird to be doing so and he wasn't sure what Nico would say if he was awake. Probably something sarcastic, he thought and felt a little better. 

Despite that it made sense, he decided and pushed his feelings aside. Nico was icy cold and leaving him on the cold hard ground wouldn't do him any good. Will needed to rest himself but he also had to be sure that he'd be available in a second if Nico needed him. 

So he leaned against the wall with Nico slumped against him once more. It was difficult to find a semi-comfortable position but he managed. Feeling the slow but steady beating of Nico's heart he felt better. He could finally relax. 

Under any other circumstance, he'd be enjoying the close proximity immensely but now he just hoped that Nico would forgive him when he woke up. Exhaustion promptly overcame him, his head lolled back and he fell into unruly sleep.

In his dreams, he saw a magnificent castle with a terrible shadow looming over it. Lightning flashed and hundreds of teenagers stormed outside in four groups.

The scene changed, he saw the gods upon Olympus, yelling at each other. Hecate wasn't there. 

He saw flashes of foreign kids at camp and Percy Jackson among other demigods in front of the castle.  
________________________________________

Annabeth

Nervously she tugged at her ponytail. Performing well academically was much more important to her than it should have been, especially since they didn't plan to graduate there. 

She had to remind herself it would hardly matter if she didn't do as well as the other kids who had been learning magic for four long years but she couldn't help it. Her own ambition was driving her insane yet again.

They were at Kingscross, she was trailing behind the group lost in thought. Their collective mood had plummeted badly that morning. They had expected Nico and Will to find them at Grimmauld Place or to send them a message but neither had happened. 

This morning they tried to reach out to them with so many (unsuccessful) Iris calls that eventually, Iris herself had appeared in the rainbow to yell at them.  
They had no other choice but to distribute the additional school books onto their suitcases and leave without them.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were trying to appear cool but they were obviously sad to let all of their kids go. Mrs. Weasley gave them so many last warnings that they all lost count. Sometime earlier that morning, Sirius and Remus had taken Harry aside for a privet conversation.

She suspected the two were trying to step up and act as parents after Harry revealed to her that they had been his Dad's best friends. Harry also seemed too dense and bitter to realize what they were trying. Which in turn lead them to believe Harry didn't care. She sighed, it was hopeless but it wasn't her place to say something.

Listlessly they dragged their luggage behind them across the platform. The only cheerful presence was the tiny owl they had named medusa as an inside joke. It squeaked happily from its cage on top of Frank's suitcase. Their party drew a lot of attention but none of them particularly cared.

The group came to a halt and Annabeth learned yet again that even ordinary days were different in the wizarding world. She stared up at the massive brick wall and for a second she thought they had taken a wrong turn somewhere, when the twins shouted, "us first," and ran straight at the solid wall.

She almost yelped but at the last second, the twins simply disappeared. Annabeth took an uncertain step back. Her architectural knowledge forbade her from believing what she'd just seen. She frowned and remembered that mount Olympus literally floated over the Empire State Building but dismissed the thought quickly. This simply wasn't right. At the next chance she got, she'd research magical architecture. 

That Nico and Will had seemingly vanished didn't sit well with her but the Weasleys insisted that they had to catch the train. A few members of the Order went to scout the area and Annabeth knew that Nico was tough and Will had plenty of experience but the worry stubbornly refused to leave her alone.

Harry and Ron ran at the wall next. They too simply vanished. Leo grinned like it was Christmas and followed them without a word. 

One after the other they all ran at the wall and Annabeth wondered what the muggles were seeing. Lastly, only she and Percy were left.

Percy offered her his hand, "together?" he asked. Annabeth smiled, "together," she agreed. They ran and she fully expected to crash but when she opened her eyes they stood on an entirely different platform, their friends waiting for them.

Hogwarts students of all ages were happily greeting each other and catching up after the long summer. Most parents stood off to the side, chatting with each other and waving at their children.

Leo was bouncing up and down excitedly and Annabeth had to admit she saw why. A magnificent crimson red train was waiting for the students to board. In golden letters, it read 'Hogwarts Express' and looked exactly like the kind of heavy machinery Leo would love to get his hands on. 

From all directions, students were rushing towards Harry and Ron. They hastily hoisted their luggage onto the train and before they knew it the second warning pipe honked through the air.

Mrs. Weasley hugged all of her children and then Harry, sending each of them off with individualized final warnings. Percy was about to board the train with a wistful expression in his eyes when Mrs. Weasley pulled him back and hugged him as well. He was a little taken aback but smiled and promised her to keep an eye on her kids.

She proceeded to hug all of the seven and Annabeth's eyes burned the slightest bit. Motherly affection would always be a sore spot for her.

The compartments of the train were surprisingly roomy but there were still far too many of them to squeeze into the same one. Splitting up and introducing themselves to many people before they arrived was the cleverest course of action but that didn't make it any more comfortable.

Hazel and Frank followed Ginny to meet her friends. Annabeth and Percy went with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Leo joined Fred and George while Jason and Piper sat out on their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thank you for reading!
> 
> I'll try to keep posting regularly, but as you might have noticed, the chapters will be a little shorter. Sorry!
> 
> The sorting will start soon! Just so you know, I have by now decided on all of the houses. Thanks to all of you for your input! I genuinely tried to take it all into account!
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter! And maybe who you ship Harry with!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18, Piper

Secretly she hoped that they'd find a train compartment without other students in it. It had been way too long since she last spoke to Jason with no one else around who demanded his attention. No such luck, as always Jason took his job seriously and made a beeline for the first other students their age he saw. 

Three pairs of skeptical eyes met them, Jason's confidence took a step back, "um, sorry, are these seats taken?" He asked and Piper would have liked to facepalm. Judging by the way those three looked at them he should have used his Preator voice.

A classically beautiful girl with smooth black hair and almond-shaped eyes regarded them with a raised eyebrow, "do we know you?" she said in lieu of an answer. The two boys to her side wore equally arrogant expressions. Piper was faintly reminded of her least favorite half-sibling, Drew.

She raised her chin and pushed past Jason, sitting down next to the girl instead of waiting for an invitation. "We're new. Our American exchange student program send us here for the year," she tried for a bored tone, "not exactly what we expected but it's only for the year so whatever," she shrugged. That was how you spoke to kids like that.

Outside the landscape rushed by in a blur of deep green and grey. Pointedly not making eye contact with the other students she gestured for Jason to sit down. He obliged, if with discomfort. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other three having a silent conversation. Smirking she understood that they had found the self-proclaimed school royalty. 

The girl seemed to be saying, 'this could be entertaining,' in an only slightly cruel way. They'd definitely try to play Jason and her in one way or another.

The guy next to Jason spoke up, offering her a charming smirk, "so America huh? And do you have a name Miss America?" 

He was almost as tall as Jason, with dark skin and chiseled but broad features. Handsome like a classical adonis but Piper obviously wasn't interested, she already won the relationship lottery.

"Piper Mclean, I'd like to say I'm pleased to be here but that would be stretching it a little," she dismissed them with a wave of her hand. 

"Well, Piper, don't dismiss everything here too quickly, you might come to regret it," he said vaguely. "I'm Blaise, that's Pansy and-"

He was interrupted by the third student, who Piper hadn't paid any mind before. Platinum blonde hair, neatly gelled back with grey eyes and high cheekbones, not her type but not unattractive either, she noted. From his stance, it was obvious that he was the leader. The arrogant air over him fit that impression.

"Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself cooly, sounding just as bored as Piper. His sharp eyes betrayed him though, he was mustering them with interest.

Almost her Pokerface would have slipped. She cursed mentally, of freaking course they had to meet the Malfoy kid out of all the damn people on this train. How unlikely was that?

She just nodded in acceptance and silently signaled Jason not to react. She didn't know where this would lead yet but they had to play their cards carefully. 

Pansy peered at them with controlled little emotion, "do you know what Hogwarts houses you will be in?" She inquired calculatingly. 

Do these kids think about anything but their houses? She suppressed a scoff.  
"We don't know yet. Nor do we care, they are all the same anyways," she answered. Pansy had tried her best to make it sound like a question about the weather so Piper would let her think that was the level of importance it had to her.

That did the trick to break their masks. All three protested. "There is only one good house; Slytherin is the only real choice. I'm sorry if you should end up anywhere else," drawled Draco and eyed Jason with false pity. Suddenly his face looked very punchable to Piper.

"There are seven of us. Possibly nine, by next week. I doubt we will all be in the same house," she shot back. Perhaps they'd mind their manners enough to not insult people they didn't know.

Pansy shook her head, "you will know soon enough, but don't worry, I have a pretty good feeling about you. You'll be with us. Who cares about the others?" She genuinely seemed to believe that her words were comforting. 

Forcing a smile she nodded, what mattered was that they were warming up to her.

Blaise wanted to ask something but the sound of what had to be a small explosion two or three compartments away stopped him. Piper and Jason exchanged a small glance, Leo had gone in that direction earlier. Please let it be somebody else, Piper thought.

Blaise grumbled, "those damn Gryffindors," and crossed his arms.

Jason jumped up. "I'll go check, a friend of ours went in that direction earlier," he announced and left.

Draco halfheartedly called after him, "don't let your friend get corrupted." Then he turned to Piper, "a total Hufflepuff that one," he said and nodded in the direction Jason had left in. The other two agreed.

"If you're smart you'll stick to us," said Pansy but she didn't wait for an answer, "there are seven of you? All from the same American school?" She asked.

Blaise added, "yeah, and what's up with two more joining you after the school year already started?"

She sighed, of course, they'd question her. "We are from two partner schools that officially belong to Ilvermorny. One is in California and one in New York. Two of our friends got caught up in some paperwork on the way here," she lied smoothly.

They bought it. Piper managed to strike up an easy conversation about the coming school year and what the teachers were like. The less they knew about her, the better. This lot would use anything as leverage against her, she was sure of it. 

After a while, she could almost forget that they were supposed to be the bad guys. Jason hadn't returned and she realized she wasn't all that mad about it. He hadn't left her alone with junior evil, he left her with three mislead kids who joked like any other students. 

The three had clearly been friends for years and there was unspoken solidarity between them. They also had the for teenagers' rare talent to carry on a conversation. Yet, Piper's heart ached. She was beginning to like them and there was no guarantee that they wouldn't end up on opposite sides of the war. 

A sharp knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, Hazel opened the door. "There you are," she sighed.

"Any news from your brother and Will?" Piper asked quickly. 

________________________________________

Draco

The new girl wasn't too bad but that didn't change that he wasn't particularly interested in meeting new people at the moment. He feared Pansy had decided to take the girl under her wing, she was always complaining about wanting more girlfriends anyways.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Piper was American. Just like the suicidal idiots he had caught breaking into his house only three days ago. 

What had possessed him not to sell them out, he still didn't know and now he had the creeping suspicion he'd see them again after all. 

When he heard a knock on their compartment door he would have liked to slump deeper into his seat but Malfoys didn't slump. All he had wanted was to catch up with his friends, why on earth did people today of all days forget that he was scary? It wasn't fair.

A girl with curly hair and startling golden eyes came in and began talking to Piper who inquired about her lost friends. 

'By Merlin, why me? He thought when he caught the names of the missing two. 'Nico and Will,' he was fairly certain that was how the two burglars had called each other. 

The last two days at home had been hell, not only had the two somehow managed to escape despite triggering a trap, but they had also taken a handwritten book with important information. It was obvious that someone had helped them in, and the deatheaters were looking at each other in suspicion.

At every second Draco had expected to be found out, the only reason he was alive was that he hadn't known of the book of the first place. Nobody believed him capable and yet the guilt and fear chewed away at his conscience.

So far he had been able to keep his mask in place but a second later a second girl entered and this time he almost gaped. He knew this girl.

A tall blonde with a high ponytail and intelligent eyes. She had been at Flourish and Blott's the other day, with the Weaslette and the guy his father mistook for Potter.

Her eyes turned into thin slits when she recognized Draco, but she didn't say anything. She just offered him a knowing smirk which was somehow worse than any comment could have been.

He had to regain control over the situation. Zoning back in he heard the blonde say, "no other new information. Jason sent me to warn you. Leo found a new friend who is just as much of a pyromaniac as he is. He will keep a close eye on them for the rest of the train ride. Or at least attempt to."

"Finnigan," groaned Blaise and Pansy simultaneously. The blonde girl eyed them warily.

She turned on her heel and was about to leave, "I'll go back to Percy. We're in the third Compartment on the right with Harry, Ron, and Hermione should you want better company." Her lips were purses and she looked like she wanted to say something else but she just left.

Grimacing, Pansy complained, "don't tell me you're friends with Potter and his lot," she asked Piper accusingly.

They all looked at her expectantly. "A few Hogwarts students picked us up when we arrived in England a few days ago. He was one of them," she evaded the actual answer. 

The girl with the bright eyes, Hazel, still leaned against the doorframe and it annoyed him endlessly. He glared at her.

Entirely unaffected, the girl spoke, "you know, my brother was supposed to meet someone on our Dad's behalf in Wiltshire. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

It was getting entirely to warm in here for his liking. "Why would I?" He asked, perfect mask in place. Blaise and Pansy shot him confused glances. They knew he lived there, they knew what his family was like.

Hazel accepted his answer, "I'll go back to Frank," she told Piper and vanished.

Draco would have liked to take a deep breath, that was a close call. Clearly, the girl knew something but it was somewhat ironic that she suspected him, who had helped her brother, of having hurt him. It did concern him a little that the two had apparently not been seen in a few days, he had been happy to think that they escaped 

"Weird," said Pansy, eloquent as ever. He silently agreed.  
________________________________________

Percy

It was a pretty comfortable ride. Harry was happier than Percy had ever seen him which just confirmed his suspicion that this school for him was like home. Maybe like Camp was to Annabeth and him.

She just came back a few minutes ago and warned them about Leo's new friend. She also explained that Piper was sitting with the wrong sort but they decided not to feel too uneasy about it since she was most likely just interrogating them while she still could. 

They were sharing different types of wizard candy that Harry and Ron insisted they had to try while Hermione described the village close to the school that the students occasionally were allowed to visit. Outside the landscape rushed by and Percy was perfectly contempt. 

They must have been traveling for two hours already and they were in the middle of a heated discussion about Quidditch and Capture the flag. When suddenly the air in front of them began to shimmer. 

They glanced at each other, Hermione quickly drew her wand and magically locked the door. The rainbow grew in size and they all squeezed on one side to see.

Kayla greeted them, she looked exhausted and Percy wondered what time it was at Camp. 

"We finally found something," she began unceremoniously, "but it's slightly complicated."

They urged her to continue and Percy absently noted the tinge of golden light Camp always had during sunrise.

Kayla took a deep breath, "There are hundreds of Prophecies by the seer you named. They are addressed to people none of us have ever heard of. None of them have ever come true and they all have the notation that they're just the second part of a longer Prophecy."

Her eyes told them that she believed their endeavor hopeless and was just humoring them. In good faith, she continued anyway.

"We have no information on where those other halves could be. It was hard to find anything really since she'd been dismissed as a fraud a long time ago."

Percy bit his lip with disappointment, "So you have nothing?"

Kayla pursed her lips like she couldn't quite decide. "Not entirely, one of her writings is dated to the day your quest began. When we touched it, a name appeared at the top, It's addressed to Mr. H. J. Potter. You wouldn't happen to know him?"

Hermione gasped, they all were suddenly wide awake, "bloody hell," breathed Ron.

Promptly Annabeth began, "I think I know where the other halves of these prophecies are. They make no sense because they are not for us. And he," she pointed at the wizard, "happens to be Harry."

The gears turning in her head might as well have been as loud as the train engine, they could all hear them. Percy too sat at the edge of his seat.

Kayla's eyes widened and their excitement must have been contagious because she spoke faster at once.

"The prophecy is in ancient greek and it is noted that there are two people who could stand at its center. However it also says that by the time this is found, the single Hero will have been determined."

She sounded frantic and worried but Percy didn't care. They'd finally have something to work with.

"You know prophecies can be tricky. Especially if incomplete," Kayla glanced at them warily.

"Please just tell us," urged Annabeth.

Kayla sighed, "Okay, okay do you have something to write?"

Hermione produced a quill and some parchment out of nowhere and handed them to Annabeth. Kayla began to dictate in greek and Annabeth copied it down in neat handwriting.

Percy listened carefully, unsure what to make of it quite yet. The wizards who didn't understand a word looked ready to explode. 

They hastily thanked Kayla and informed her that they had sent people looking for her brother. Then the connection broke.

They remained alone in the compartment, squeezed on one bench, and staring at a wall.

Ron frowned at the paper as Percy and Annabeth got up and resumed their old spots. "How the hell is this supposed to help us?" He complained.

Smirking Percy told him, "it will, once we have translated it for you." 

"Could we please just get on with it?" asked Harry, mildly irritated. The wizards watched them with big eyes as Percy and Annabeth translates the old runes line by line.

They took turns, each translating one line. Percy began, 

"Two worlds collide,"

"The unity of four forged in rebellion shall ignite," 

"The witch and war must unite the brave and just,"

"Darkness helper shall prove right the light,"

"The battle's won if the nemesis gains trust,"

"One shall face a parents fury or perish to the night,"

"Children of Darkness teach the chosen to mistrust,"

"When twins with fire and light aid the angel knight,"

"And the one who wronged fate might combust,"

"Water and wisdom teach the desperate light,"

"But the ending meet the chosen must,"

He hesitated before translating the last line. That didn't sound good, but Prophecies never sounded good he reminded himself. 

Sighing, he wished that just once they'd get a prophecy that said: "you will win, no one will get hurt, you will have fun the entire time and this is how you do it." Was that too much to ask?

Harry sullenly looked put the window, contemplating the lines. Annabeth scribbled down the English translation.

Frowning Ron turned to him, "does that make any sense to you? Sounds like a lot of jumbled up shite to me."

Percy snorted, "yeah, my first few prophecies sounded like that to me too. You get used to it."

"Let's go over this line by line," insisted Hermione, and Ron leaned back, ready to zone back in once the others were done.

Finishing the last line of her translation Annabeth said, "we have quite a bit of practice in interpreting these things but since the metaphors will most likely apply to your world and not ours we'll have to see what we can do."

She examined the paper and Percy leaned over her shoulder. 

Harry glanced at them, "the first line is fairly obvious. Two worlds collide. Yours and ours."

They all agreed gravely, understanding that they had no choice in this. Their meeting was meant to happen.

"The second last line refers to Annabeth and me. I'm sure of it. It means we're supposed to teach you something," Percy guessed.

Hermione looked at him questioningly, so did Harry and Ron.

"In greek prophecies, there are almost always symbols instead of names. I've been called wisdom's daughter before. Percy would be 'a hero of the eldest gods' while another referred to Piper as 'the dove'. For us to be called water and wisdom makes sense," She explained and crossed her legs in full thinking mode.

Hermione scratched the back of her head, "how can we tell if something is meant literally or stands for a person?"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other, "when in doubt, it's not literally." They both grinned.

Harry took the parchment from Annabeth and studied it, "I don't like how much it says about darkness," he sighed. "I suppose the talk about 'meeting the ending' isn't much better.

Ron snatched the parchment away, "'unity of four," he recited, "if it all metaphors and stuff than could it mean something other than people? Like Hogwarts houses?"

Hermione and Harry tensed, but Percy thought it made sense as soon as Ron had said the words.

Hermione frowned, "what rebellion though? And how are we supposed to unite all houses?" 

Shaking his head, Harry added, "yeah, Slytherin house is kind of the source of our problems here."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Annabeth, "isn't it obvious? To fix the problem you cure its roots!"

Hermione looked cross, which didn't surprise Percy. She appreciated clear facts and logic way too much to be happy about the whole metaphor business.

"Is there anything literal in that text? It just doesn't make any sense," she scowled, "if war is what unites the brave and just, how can they fight the war together if they're only united through it?" she mumbled.

Percy perked up, "but it doesn't just say war. It says the witch and war. I think it means two people." Silently he added that the witch referred to might very well be Hermione.

Annabeth tilted her head, "I think that probably means Frank."

Harry leaned forward, "a son of the war god," he mumbled like he finally saw some light. Then he grimaced,

"The battles won if the nemesis gains trust', is pretty straight forward. But that doesn't make it easier, which nemesis? And who needs to trust them?" Harry thought aloud.

Silence followed as they all considered it.

Finally, Annabeth spoke up, "Mind the wording. A war sometimes has many battles," she warned. "Trusting the right person is probably your part. As for the nemesis I have no idea, since there is no actual child of Nemesis around."

"The one who wronged fate is obviously Voldemort," said Hermione, glad to be getting the hang of this. Ron flinched away from the name but the others didn't bat an eyelash.

Hermione ignored him, "But 'might combust' just tells us that if we despite all manage to follow the rest of the prophecy correctly, we might win. Not very optimistic."

Percy shrugged, "actually that's not bad. It means there is hope. I've had prophecies straight up tell me my friends will die so this isn't too bad."

Looking outside the window he absentmindedly went on, "I don't like the part about 'a parents fury' though, because if that refers to one of our godly parents, we're screwed."

"Might be Zeus," Annabeth mused.

She didn't have to elaborate. They had all heard what Hecate had said, Zeus was against them. Percy bit his lip, there were plenty of gods he'd rather face.

Carefully glancing at Ron, Annabeth asserted, " 'the twins with fire and light' is probably the most literal line."

Hermione's eyes darted up, "Fred and George," she concluded. Annabeth nodded.

Watching Harry closely, Percy frowned. He hadn't said anything in a while and judging by his expression his thoughts were plummeting into a pit of guilt. Endangering his best friend's brothers didn't help that. 

"Harry, the bad parts of this will happen either way. With your help, we might be able to avoid some of it. But you can't start blaming yourself. Blame Voldemort, you know it's really all his fault," Percy said bluntly.

Startled to about being addressed, Harry ducked away. "I don't like this at all. Leading my friends into a war, I can't ask that of them," he shook his head.

Percy gripped his shoulder, "it's not you who is demanding they fight. Circumstance is. You are the one who gives them the best chances to get through. You are the one they will sooner or later look to for a direction," he paused.

Harry was holding his gaze, but he was unconvinced. Hermione and Ron silently exchanged a look. They at least had gotten the message, Harry could use no more people questioning him. 

Percy let go of Harry, he leaned back, "That does not mean it is your fault. If you don't lead somebody else will, but the same people will be forced to fight just with worse chances," he said vehemently. He had to get through to Harry somehow.

Harry nodded and at least his lips curled the slightest bit. "So what else have we got? If Fred and George are the twins," he glanced at Ron who grimaced but nodded. "Then does that mean that fire is Leo?"

"Now you're with us!" grinned Percy. "And I don't know who 'light' refers to, but I have a good idea who the 'Angel knight,' might be, he said importantly.

Annabeth agreed, "it's always him."

"Who?" Asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione as one. 

"Nico. It's most definitely Hazel's brother," informed Percy them. When they just stared at him questioningly he elaborated, "his name is Nico di Angelo. This isn't the first prophecy that calls him 'angel,' which is kind of ironic but whatever," he trailed off.

"He can be a powerful ally," Annabeth attempted to give them some hope. The three just disdainfully accepted her answer. 

Harry rubbed his temples and Percy knew all too well how he felt. "At least we have something to work with now," he told him.

"I don't really get the other lines yet," mused Annabeth, "sometimes parts of a prophecy don't become really clear until it's all over."

"The rest really doesn't make much sense," admitted Percy. "We might as well enjoy the rest of the ride, not much we can do right now."

"I suppose you're right," said Harry, he sounded like he wanted to add something else but he just fidgeted with his wand, deeply in thought.

Hermione sighed, "it's about time to change in our school robes," she said with a glance at the time. She sounded dissatisfied but none of them felt like further dwelling on doom and darkness.

Once they were all wearing their school robes, they began discussing the houses again.

"If we really have to unite all houses," Hermione began carefully, "then I suppose it would be clever if at least one of you was in Slytherin," she pursed her lips unhappily, "I really don't want to put that on any of you though," she sighed.

Percy expected protest from Harry and Ron but they remained silent, they had to recognize that Hermione was right.

"I just can't see any of you with the snakes," blurted Ron. Harry crossed his arms defiantly, Percy didn't know what he was thinking.

"There are seven of us, there has to be at least one," frowned Annabeth. Over the last two days, the Weasleys low opinion of Slytherin's house had slowly seeped into her head.

Percy sighed, "It's gonna be me," he decided unsure how he felt about that. The others gaped at him.

"I'll be fine," he promised. He had thought about it before and he was fairly certain he'd fit into Slytherin just as well as Gryffindor. Someone had to be it for their quests sake and when had he ever gotten the easy part?

Sure, he could pretend to be a pure Gryffindor and stick to Harry. That would be easy. But the more time he spent with the trio the surer he was that despite having the same goals, they had different methods. That only left one question.

"Is there any way to influence the sorting? I'm fairly sure I'll get send there anyways but just to be sure," he asked.

The others regarded him disdainfully, nobody wanted to disagree since this was for the quest. After a few beats of unhappy silence, Hermione sighed.

"I don't think so," she told him and his heart sank a little. He hated it when parts of his quest were out of his control.

Perhaps he could throw the hat off if he just thought about Slytherin really intensely. He feared that would be his best bet.

Another minute or so of silence and Harry cleared his throat. "There is another way."

________________________________________

Frank

Rejoining the others in his new school robes he felt just the tiniest bit awkward. Who even still wore cloaks? He thought miserably.

On the positive side, Hazel looked adorable in hers. She had tied her hair back and her eyes gleamed like this was where she had always been supposed to be. He sat down next to her again and she promptly tried to straighten his tie.

Ginny giggled, "you two are too cute. Cheer up Frank, you'll get used to uniform eventually," she promised. 

Luna and Neville sat to either side of her and Frank had been happy to meet the Ravenclaw girl. It proved that inter-house friendships did exist.

They both seemed really nice. Neville was a bit dorky and Luna didn't make much sense to him most of the time but they struck him as genuinely kind. There was something mystical about Lunas wide pale blue eyes, initially, he had been a bit freaked out by her. 

That changed when she began reading her magazine the wrong way and offered homemade candy to them. Strange he could deal with, plenty of kids at camp were strange. He accepted with a smile and he learned quickly that Luna and Neville combined knew just about everything about magical plants and animals. 

The hours passed in no time, it was easy to find common ground with the two. He would have gladly continued chatting with them and Hazel seemed to agree. She was rarely as animatedly part of a conversation as during that train ride.

If nothing else, it had taken her mind off her worry for her brother for a while. Frank pushed the thought aside, they simply couldn't think like that. Nico and Will were fine.

The train steadily sped on and soon they'd see Hogwarts for the first time. He had gotten a good description of the actual castle earlier from Luna, Neville, and Ginny and now he was eager to see it for himself. Maybe it was because those three loved the place so much, but it sounded entirely fantastical to him.

Hazel leaned against him and he allowed himself to simply enjoy the moment. 

________________________________________

Leo

Certainly, he had had the most luck out of all of his friends. Traveling with Fred and George was awesome, he decided.

They had introduced him to more people than he could count and Leo was fairly convinced they were in with the cool crowd. He cheered mentally when two pretty girls sat to either side of him, pestering him with questions about America. 

The entire train ride felt like a party or at least a very good get together amongst friends. The twins showed off some of the new products they had developed over summer, most of which seemed to be focused on rule-breaking.

They were also working on some fireworks which Leo promptly agreed to help with. Telling him about the castles' secret passages and the most annoying teachers, Leo really felt accepted. 

Nothing could ruin his mood at that point, he had found his people and he had found a spell to fireproof his uniform. All he had to do was get confirmed that he was in their house.  
________________________________________

Piper,

She tucked one last time at her blouse with gratification. This would do. The clothes were nowhere near as practical as she preferred but she wouldn't stick out like this which had its advantages. 

With her wand and Katoptris safely hidden in the folds of her cloak, she rejoined the three Slytherins. They smiled at her with a warmth she wouldn't have believed possible from them.

Being a Slytherin must be like being part of an exceptional secret society. They could make anyone feel special and it was intoxicating. They had accepted her for now, she knew that might change after the sorting but already she felt the need to make sure it wouldn't.

The solidarity and safety that house could provide had a strong draw on her. Once you were in, they'd treat you as an equal. She wanted that, despite the stigma that came with it.

An image change couldn't hurt the Slytherins, she was beginning to suspect that the image was, in reality, more of a cover. The other houses disliked them anyways, what they did was effectively using that dislike to their advantage.

Instead of accepting it or working against it, they used it. They put themselves above the others and turned dislike into fear. Before anyone picked on them for being different, they separated themselves even further. 

She sighed, there was a lot of work ahead of her. Piper knew all about the game these kids were playing and it needed to stop before it got dangerous. If it wasn't too late already.

The three complimented her, but tastefully and not like others tended to do. Slytherins surely had a way with words. They knew what she needed to hear.

They were rapidly approaching the castle and soon she'd know her house, for better or for worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thank you for reading!
> 
> I really hoped you enjoyed it because let me tell you; writing prophecies is not my strong suit :)))
> 
> Let me know what you thought! And again, who do you ship Harry with? I'm kind of leaning towards Drarry rn but nothing is decided yet!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19, Nico

His head was buzzing, he was disoriented and it was dark. Those were the first things Nico noticed when he woke up. Despite that, he wasn't uncomfortable.

Blood rushed to his face and he was instantly more awake when he realized he was leaning against Will. Not only that, but Will also had his arms slung around him. He glanced over and saw that Will was still asleep. Waking him wouldn't be fair, he thought and tried not to move.

The last thing he remembered was a flash of light and pain coursing through him. His heart beat faster as he considered that they might have been caught. This could be a basement prison.

Checking his surroundings he saw green light so soft it was hardly even there and two bags they hadn't possessed the previous day. So not a prison cell, he thought with relief. How had they gotten here?

Will was so close that he could feel his breath against his neck, it was impossible to think. To his surprise, he didn't mind the close proximity. What irritated him was that he couldn't think, or at least not about anything but Will.

He was entirely lost in thought when Will began to stir. He blinked and opened his eyes and his lips quirked up when he saw that Nico was awake.

How he could exhibit such positivity seconds after waking up in a dark cave, Nico would never understand. He knew he should bring some space between them but he couldn't bring himself to move.

Instead, he pushed a lock of golden hair away from Will's face like in trance. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice was hoarse and his throat burned.

"You're asking me if I'm okay? I didn't get knocked out by evil sorcerers," Will sounded exasperated but Nico supposed that meant he was fine.

Eventually, they both got up. It couldn't have been a comfortable night but he missed being close to Will the second he let go. Will caught him up on what he had missed while they gathered their bags. 

"Thank you, sunshine," said Nico, "I'd be dead if it wasn't for you." He'd lie if he'd say he didn't know what a strong effect the nickname had on Will but he seemed to like it, so why not. A mean voice in his head reminded him, 'because you shouldn't get any closer to him. You're too close already. He deserves better.'

His thoughts were abruptly intercepted by much more positive ones when Will took his hand. "You didn't move away earlier?" He noted and watched Nico with steady eyes.

"Maybe I don't mind closeness as much if it's you I'm close to," he said absentmindedly. 'That was supposed to be a silent thought,' he cursed internally. Will beamed at him so brightly it almost made up for it.

This can't go on, he thought, he will ruin me entirely. I no longer know what I'm thinking and saying. How does he even do that? What had possessed him to kiss Will the other day he still didn't know.

Only that he did. He wanted to kiss Will, and he wanted to do it again but why risk it? Eventually, he'd end up alone again. People close to him tended to get hurt and he couldn't bear for that to happen to Will. A part of him knew he was being stupid, at this last quest Will had saved him and not the other way around but he wasn't quite willing to accept it.

Will seemed to realize his inner turmoil, he didn't say anything, he just smiled and waited for Nico to come around. Another reason he was just too good to be true, anybody else would have pushed. Instead, Will continued telling him about the run-in with his father he had missed. They were still holding hands. 

It was hard to believe that his father had helped them and yet it was obvious they'd otherwise be dead. He wasn't used to thinking of the god as anything but just another god. Nonetheless, he had to admit that he had lately been making an effort to be more of a father. As much as a god could be a father, he mused.

There were a few sandwiches and water bottles in the bags, they both realized they hadn't eaten anything in about two days and eagerly devoured all of it.

According to Will's explanation, a way back up would present itself eventually. Being left to wait was annoying but it gave them some time to check out the book Nico had stolen.

He intently hoped the book would be helpful, all the trouble they had been through couldn't have been for nothing. His face burned with shame when he remembered that Will carried him through the forest for who knew how long. 

Sitting beneath one of the faintly flickering green torches, they examined the book. It had a simple black leather cover and bound parchment pages.  
________________________________________

Hazel

The castle was breathtaking, even from a distance. Ginny hadn't overestimated at all and Hazel didn't know what to say. Her eyes went huge.

Its many towers cut the evening sky and warm light escaped through the hundreds of windows. It glowed with life and presence and was easily the most magnificent place she had ever seen.

Frank next to her was just as engulfed in the wondrous atmosphere. Ginny, Luna, and Neville followed them with understanding smiles. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be here for the first time," Neville promised kindly. 

"Come on, the carriages are over there!" Luna stirred them on, she bounced ahead happily.

Hazel went after her, through the masses of students, eyes still fixed on the castle in the distance. A few steps away, a giant man she recognized from the Order meeting was calling the first years to him. Hazel staggered past like in a trance when the giant waved at her, she waved back.

By the carriages, the seven reunited. All of their faces were plastered with bright smiles. Piper stood off a little to the side and with a frown, Hazel saw that she was still being followed by the three Slytherins.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood with Percy and Annabeth. That would get awkward in a second, Hazel guessed. She exchanged a short glance with Frank. They positioned themselves firmly in the middle between the two groups. 

It was no use, Percy instantly made his way towards Piper. They got into a carriage with the three Slytherins, who glared at Percy suspiciously.

Neville nudged her, "isn't she a friend of yours?" He nodded towards Piper. "I think she's falling in with the wrong sort. If you really care about her you should probably warn her before she gets sorted."

It pained Hazel to hear that, hesitantly she explained that they were trying to unite the houses and that Piper was most likely befriending them on purpose.

Neville seemed horrified but he didn't say anything. Ginny sighed, "she really didn't have to start with the worst of the worst," she grumbled and climbed into an empty carriage. 

Neville, Luna, Hazel, and Frank followed her. Behind them, she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione with a disappointed looking Annabeth. The twins with Leo and Jason occupied the next carriage.

When the carriages began rattling along, she noticed the peculiar horses for the first time. Having seen as many weird things in her life as she had, the horses hardly concerned her. If anything they looked familiar.

Shiny black fur and skeletal bodies with empty eye sockets that saw everything. Contemplating where she'd seen them before, she saw that Frank looked mildly freaked out while Luna tried to pet them.

"They are Thestrals!" Exclaimed Hazel, "they graze in the lesser populated parts of the fields of asphodel. Only those who've seen death can see them but they're harmless," she explained.

Now it was Nevilles and Ginny's turn to look freaked out. Neville leaned away from them, "what are you talking about?"

"The horses dragging us right now," said Luna loftily, "I always wondered what they were called. I was going to look it up later today. Thank you, Hazel," she said in her awed voice.

Sadness overcame her as she realized that it wasn't normal for a Teenager to see these horses. Ginny and Neville were the normal ones. Because all of her friends had seen just as much bad stuff as she had, she sometimes forgot that not everyone's life was like that.

Glancing at Luna she sadly wondered who she had lost. The strange blonde girl seemed so naive and soft, it was hard to picture her as someone with a dark past. She supposed others would say the same about her and suddenly liked Luna a whole lot more. 

Neville and Ginny didn't question them. Neville looked like he wanted to, but Ginny stopped him. Hazel was grateful, now really wasn't the time to dwell on that. Frank put an arm around her, he too regarded the horses with a depressing smile.

Upon reaching the school, they trudged up the stairs with the hundreds of other tired students. In their uniforms, they blended together like an enormous swarm of ravens. No one paid her any mind.

Hundreds of portraits covered the entrance hall, they moved and waved and greeted the new students. Candlelight flickered around them. Hazel's breath hitched, she had rarely felt so small. 

But she had no time to gape at the beautifully bizarre castle, Frank pulled her to the side. Glancing up in confusion she saw that Jason stood even further to the side, next to the headmaster himself.

Strange, she thought but complied. When they reached them, Piper and Percy had joined them as well. Jason had gone to fetch Leo and Annabeth waded through the crowd towards them.

Within a minute, the seven had found back together and were staring up at the headmaster expectantly. Students around them paused and gossiped and stared at them.

Dumbledore motioned for them to follow him and he led the way through the castle, "Professor McGonagall and I think it best to sort you privately. This year's first-years will have to wait another minute, I'm afraid," he said calmly and Hazel couldn't read the emotion in his voice.

Venturing down a long hallway, they reached the statue of a Griffin, which promptly sprang to the side when Dumbledore greeted it. Though what kind of greeting 'sherbert lemon' was, Hazel wasn't sure.

A door came into view and the seven followed Dumbledore without a word. Up some stairs and finally, they found themselves in what must be Dumbledores office. She felt her heart in her throat, now that the sorting was so close, she was beginning to worry. 

'Please don't separate me from Frank,' she thought. After all they had been through, that would be too cruel. 

Dumbledores' office had a wonderful view over the school grounds and several portraits snored above them. Curious metallic objects were scattered all over the place among heavy books. She would have liked to have a minute to investigate everything but that was unlikely.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and watched them over the rim of his glasses, his hands folded in front of him. A brown leathery hat sat on a stack of books. 

"It is time, I suppose. Mr.Valdez, if you'd do us the honors to begin?" His eyes glinted with interest. All eyes were on Leo.

He swallowed uncertainly but reached for the hat anyways, which promptly came to life.

"Ah, new students, welcome!" It said through a fold that turned out to be its mouth. Leo almost dropped the hat, he clearly did not want to put it on his head.

Hazel clapped one hand over her mouth, despite the wizard's descriptions of the hat, seeing it was something else.

With a deep sigh, Leo placed the hat onto his unruly curls. Hadn't they all been so tense it would have been a ridiculous sight. The hat began muttering to itself and Leo's eyes went wide, she didn't doubt that he could her the hat clearly and he disagreed with whatever it said.

After a silent battle of the wits that took about two minutes, Leo gave in. He relaxed visibly even though he was still scowling and the hat exclaimed, "Ravenclaw."

The headmaster seemed surprised but he smiled encouragingly and Leo passed the hat on to Hazel. She gulped but accepted it.

The hat fit her almost perfectly and she took a shaky breath. A deep voice boomed through her head.

"Hmmm not an easy life either," it mused and Hazel stifled her gasp. "Clever none the less, and brave too. Tell me, girl, what do you use if you have the choice, bravery, or brains?" It pondered. 

Hazel didn't consider it, "whatever is necessary to best help my friends," she thought.

"Hufflepuff," yelled the hat promptly, "not what I expected at first but right without a doubt. What an interesting head," it added.

"Um, thanks?" Mumbled Hazel, and took it off. She handed the hat to Frank, unsure how to feel about her result as long as she didn't know where the others were.

The hat took a long time with Frank, longer than with her and Leo combined. 'Please let it be Hufflepuff', Hazel prayed.

The hat didn't hear her and neither did Frank. "Gryffindor," it announced and the mixed feelings in her turned bitter.

Leo grumbled, "he gets Gryffindor? Really?" And Hazel felt a little better, they'd all have to arrange themselves.

Frank gave the hat to Piper with a small smile and came back to Hazel. He squeezed her hand as a silent promise, this would change nothing.

Piper's eyes flashed with defiance, she accepted the hat and stood tall. Within the first minute, it decided, "Slytherin."  
Piper smirked with satisfaction, Jason glanced at her miserably.

Annabeth went next, for her, the head took its time. She began muttering angrily and the hat ignored her. Finally, it said, "Ravenclaw" and Annabeth sighed. She went to stand next to Leo and handed the hat to Percy.

Percy's sorting took the longest. Even the headmaster was beginning to grow impatient. Percy's dark hair fell over his eyes and he wore a determined and sinister expression. He was clearly presenting his own case with a sat decision in mind.

"Slytherin," it yelled. If she wasn't entirely mistaken, the hat sounded annoyed but it didn't surprise her. Percy could have that effect on anybody if he set his mind to it. Percy smirked, which surprised her.

He placed himself next to Piper and passed the hat on to Jason, he was the last to go. Jason looked as if he had also prepared an entire speech for his case but the hat didn't give him a chance. It barely touched his hair when it already exclaimed, "Hufflepuff!" 

Jason looked stricken but he just placed the hat back on the headmaster's desk. The old wizard had been scowling ever since Percy got placed in Slytherin.

"Very well, and once again I am happy to officially welcome you at Hogwarts. Please meet me here again tomorrow morning. Until then, enjoy the feast," he dismissed them.

________________________________________

Frank

They made their way back to the great hall, now all of their ties had taken their respective house colors. Frank was already resenting the color red, it was just his luck that he was the only one of them who got placed alone in one house. At least he knew Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys. 

When they entered the hall, hundreds of eyes stared at them. McGonagall must have just finished a speech of some sort and Dumbledore appeared behind her out of thin air, with the hat in his hand.

McGonagall waved them closer, "please welcome our new exchange students from Ilvermorny Academy. They will be staying with us for the entire year and I expect you to treat them well," she warned, "as they are our guests."

Startled applause arose gradually and they stalked towards the center of the room. 

"Please take a seat at your house table when I call your name," announced McGonagall briskly and began listing their name in alphabetical order.

"Chase, Annabeth. Ravenclaw," called McGonagall. And with a last longing smile, Annabeth left them. Frank's heart clenched.

She continued down the list, Jason went next and then Percy, each time one of the house tables began clapping. Frank made eye contact with Ron across the room. He was grimacing, Harry, and Hermione didn't look any happier.

When Hazel left him to sit at the Hufflepuff table with Jason, he was tempted to just go with her. Even though the Hufflepuffs looked at Jason like he had two heads. Until Hazel joined him, the seats next to him were empty.

With a start, he realized that Harry's dead friend had been a Hufflepuff. He had forgotten that, so had Jason, judging by his expression. 

Frank was the last to find his table and he may have been the only Gryffindor in their group but he got a hearty welcome from the table. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. 

He sat down next to Hermione who hugged him briefly and they watched as the first-year students got sorted. Then Dumbledore held a speech.

It sounded like his usual babbling about friendship and trust only that this time, he got interrupted.

A toad-like woman in her mid-forties wearing terrible pink clothes had actually dared to stop Dumbledore. She cleared her throat and held her own speech, introducing herself as Dolores Umbridge, the new teacher for defense against the dark arts. 

Her voice sounded so sickly sweet that Frank felt the strong urge to cover his ears. Everything about her seemed fake and out of place at this school.

Hermione next to him looked disgusted, the twins at the other end of the table were already mocking her and undoubtedly making hundreds of plans to prank her. Harry and Ron wore identical expressions of distaste like they were already imagining what classes with that hag were going to be like.  
________________________________________

Percy

Before they were separated from the regular Hogwarts students he had managed to pull Draco aside. He didn't enjoy doing that but he had apologized for their bad first meeting.

Draco had appeared suspicious but he accepted on the implied grounds that no one would hear of it. Percy understood that the guy didn't want him to undermine his power. If he accepted him as a friend on conditions, he didn't have to worry about him as a threat. Not exactly great grounds for a real friendship but good enough for the moment. 

Now they were sitting in the great hall, sorted once and for all. Annabeth sat two tables away but it might as well have been miles keeping them apart. The Slytherins, his housemates, were gossiping quietly as they pretended to listen to the pink toad.

Pansy watched her calculatingly, "I've seen her before. At my Dad's Ministry Officials Party at the beginning of summer," she recounted. 

Draco rolled his eyes, "Pans, it's only the first evening. Safe us your bragging at least till tomorrow."

A few of the others snickered but Draco didn't sound like he meant it. Blaise a few seats down the line scowled, "since when is the ministry intervening with Hogwarts business?"

But before anyone could answer, the headmaster continued his speech. Nobody dared to chat while he was speaking. 

Percy made a mental note to ask the wizards about the relationship between ministry and school later. So far he hadn't heard much good about the ministry and Blaise, who he had quickly learned was a quiet and serious guy, seemed concerned. 

Then the actual feast began and it truly was a feast. The food was incredibly delicious and dinner at the Slytherin table had a great atmosphere. These kids talked to each other like family, he presumed. It was good to see they had a warm side.

Some of them asked a question about his American school, he mostly oriented his lies at Camp. It didn't feel good to make up so much and dwelling on Camp made him realize that there was no blue food on the table. He sighed.

Sadly that hadn't gone unnoticed. Pansy, the girl Piper had befriended on the train, watched him with a soft expression, "are you homesick?" She asked quietly but the whole table listened anyways.

"Just a little," he admitted carefully. Better to give them a harmless weakness as bait than to wait till they found the real ones. She smiled at him sympathetically and there was something in her eyes Percy didn't like. 

He let his eyes wander and saw that several girls wore the same expression. Oh uh. Perhaps it was because they had known the guys in their house since they were eleven but they looked at Percy like he was some kind of steak.

Draco was also glaring daggers at him and he suspected to know who usually got that amount of attention. Not good at all.

Hastily he added, "it wouldn't be so bad if the stupid hat hadn't placed my girlfriend in Ravenclaw."

He heard a few disappointed sighs but mostly it diverted the attention like it was supposed to. Piper next to him coughed in her napkin, "Took you long enough."

It also stirred on a rather interesting conversation, some of the Slytherins mentioned siblings they didn't talk to anymore because they were in a different house. Others mentioned childhood best friends they hadn't spoken to since the day of their sorting.

Percy carefully inquired why relationships ended like that, mentally he added that a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor would have surely stayed friends. He was met with several sinister expressions and he had the weird impression to have said something really stupid.

Blaise chuckled darkly, "you're new so we'll let this slide. But haven't you noticed that they," he gestured with his fork at the remaining three tables, "want nothing to do with us?"

Pansy agreed, "they think we're all evil and they never let us forget it. I'm sorry to inform you, as long as you're wearing that green tie you won't be welcomed outside this house. Wouldn't try to approach other students if I were you, never ends well."

Percy stayed silent but a plan was beginning to form in his head. This year, he thought, should prove to be interesting.  
________________________________________

Annabeth,

This school is the best place on earth, she decided. Ravenclaw house was amazing. Throughout the entire dinner, she got dragged from one great conversation the next.

At first, she had been doubtful about the hat's decision. She attempted to convince it that Gryffindor or Slytherin would be a better fit for her. Now that she had met the Ravenclaw students, she knew she had been wrong.

These kids knew everything, from ancient runes to modern science, art, or old Chinese weapon-making techniques (very particular conversation, don't ask). They all seemed to have a few subjects of expertise paired with a good amount of either mathematical genius or creative high ground. 

How useful most of that knowledge actually was she'd rather not ask, but the conversations were incredible. It was like being on an entirely different plane of existence and when the feast ended it felt like only minutes had passed. The rush she experienced almost left her burned out. 

Only as they were making their way toward the Ravenclaw common room did she remember to check on Leo. Guilt crept up in her. Leo had been even more skeptical about their house as she and leaving him like that hadn't exactly been a demonstration of friendship.

Excusing herself from the girl she had been chatting with about the possibility of underwater architecture, she let herself fall to the back of the group. Definitely, a discussion to get back to another time, she thought. 

Annabeth wouldn't have needed to worry, Leo had found his people. An entire group of excited Ravenclaws was running around him, trying to get his attention. Apparently, Leo was describing in excruciating detail how he had repaired Festus. At least that was what she guessed with her admittedly limited mechanical knowledge. 

Nudging her way through the other students she waved at Leo. Stopping mid explanation he smiled and pulled her to the center of the group. "This is my good friend Annabeth, not as good with mechanics as me," he announced with a charming smirk, "but if you want to build a monument to last millennia, she's your gal!" 

Instantly the group parted to let her through respectfully. These kids seemed unable to decide whether they cared about personal space way too much or not at all. She awkwardly introduced herself and instantly the group parted, sweeping her away with questions.

Before she knew it, they reached the tower. Their prefects informed them that their suitcases had already been brought up and Annabeth marveled at the room around her.

The entire castle's architecture was incredible but in terms of interior design, their common room took it to the next level. Earlier she had been awed by the ceiling in the great hall which looked like the sky outside, now she was frozen on the spot with amazement.

It must have been a similar charm but amplified a few thousand times. The ceiling showed nothing less than the depth of space. Colorful nebula swirled by and in the distance, she saw different planets. It was somehow both, scientifically interesting and aesthetically pleasing.

The rest of the room matched up to it perfectly. Deep blue plush chairs and couches, a fireplace that burned white and glass tables with bronze details all tied in perfectly together.

Somehow it was the perfect blend of antique and modern, tied together with timeless ease. Taking a few steps backward to lean against the wall she took her time to comprehend it all.

In one corner stood a gramophone, the walls were covered in all kinds of art and writing and everywhere books lay around. Shaking herself out of her daze, she glanced over at Leo.

His eyes were shining and his lips quirked up, he met Annabeth's gaze, "Screw Gryffindor. No way their common room is as awesome as this," he decided.

Around them, several students cheered. The older students had been carefully watching them and the new-first years for their reaction. She blushed and Leo ducked away when they noticed the amount of attention they were getting. 

One of the girls Annabeth had spoken to earlier, Cho, stepped forward, "we take great pride in our common room. It mirrors who we are as individuals and as a group, everyone can add to it. The best additions stay for hundreds of years. Nothing is ever lost, Hogwarts keeps it all," she told them, and even after years at the school, one could hear the wonder in her voice.

Ideas mixed with impressions crowded her mind, her ambition kicked in. She had to create something that would stay in this school forever. She simply had to.

Leo was inspecting the Gramophone, "there are no vinyl records that go with this," he noted with disappointment.

Frowning apologetically, Cho told him that apparently nobody even knew anymore how the gramophone worked. Some muggle-borns had tried but quickly given up with the same statement as Leo's, "there are no Vinyls."

Fidgeting with his wand, Leo seized it up. 'Project mode engaged', his face seemed to read.

"How do you listen to music around here? I can probably build a vinyl but I'd need some kind of recording-"

Annabeth didn't hear the rest, half of Ravenclaw house began to crowd around Leo, all offering different solutions. He'd be fine.

Camp had always been her home and always would be but she was beginning to think that Hogwarts would earn a special place in her heart too. It surprised her that by wizard standards Leo and she were basically in the same personality group but it was a pleasant surprise.

Leo had grown on her ever since their time on the Argo ll. His brains were admirable, she considered, just in such a different way than her own. It would take her a while to wrap her mind around it but maybe they had more in common than she thought.

Tiredness was starting to set in and she decided to call it a night and check out her new bedroom. Briefly wondering who her roommates would be, she made her way to the stairs. 

________________________________________

________________________________________

Author's note:

First off, I am so so sorry for the delay in updates, and thank you if you're still reading this! (School this week was like looking both ways before crossing the road and then being hit by a plane) 

Also thank you for all the amazing feedback on the last chapter!

Next up, I know there are as many opinions on how the seven should be sorted as there are people who have read hoo. 

I hope you agree with my sorting/ keep reading anyways. I genuinely thought about each and every one of your comments and for Percy, I went with the majority vote so please don't kill me for the rest. (I was so anxious to post this chapter, not gonna lie)

This project is kind of growing over my head but I also love it so don't worry, I'll keep posting. Even if it might be a little less regularly.

If you're curious about how I made my decision on the sorting, here are brief explanations for all of the characters:  
(Sorry if they are a bit rambly) 

Leo: relatively easy to sort but I know a lot of you will disagree with this, so here goes; Ravenclaw. Why?

Well, first of all, every time Leo is confronted with a problem his first instinct is to think it through. To build something to fix it. Sometimes blowtorching the problem is enough and why mess with success but literally every time he thinks first. 

The whole principle of creating new things to fix something is very Ravenclaw. Some Ravenclaws will build well working financial systems, others like Leo will build a mechanical dragon or warship to help "fix" the big picture. 

A lot of his internal monologue, especially when he isn't doing well, is about how he thinks machines make more sense to him than people. He sees machines as beautiful, the more intricate the better, and gets sad when one is destroyed. Because machines are logical were people are not and he gets logic a lot better than emotion. 

He's impressed with Calypso for how she *build* her life, what she *created* on her island. Even when he can't build something to fix a problem, let's take the famous Narcissus fiasco as an example, he still acts Ravenclaw. 

He thinks it through, and his tactic of fake confidence to cause confusion and mess with Narcissus and his followers mentally is perfectly Ravenclaw. It's fake it till you make it, like all of adult life. His jokes and quippy puns fit the picture too. 

So in conclusion, he has a lot of Gryffindor qualities but in the end, his actions and values show Ravenclaw instincts. 

Frank: again, relatively easy. Though he definitely appears very Hufflepuff sometimes, ultimately, I have to go with Gryffindor for him. Why?

Let's think about it, who in the HP universe gives off vibes extremely similar to Frank? Neville freaking Longbottom, that's who. Frank hasn't quite found himself yet, he has courage but he needs to learn wherefrom to draw it. Similar to Neville, I think Franks Grandmother unintentionally made it hard for him to believe in himself and he has to unlearn that. 

Ultimately though, he has a Gryffindor value system, he chooses his goals based on what he thinks is truly good. Not just, or ambitious, but good, he doesn't think about it, he does what needs to be done. He might not always be happy about it, but he doesn't fret it as the other houses would. 

He was willing to burn up his own life force because it was the good thing to do. He was willing to let Hazel come with him to face the god of death because the prophecy said so, even though she could have been taken by Thanatos immediately. None of that is just, but it was right. 

At that point, I think a Hufflepuff would frantically try to find a different way out, for their loved one if not for themself. In that way, he is bold, brave, and chivalrous and a true Gryffindor through and through.

Piper: Slytherin, and an obvious one at that. Her main power is literally manipulation but because she didn't choose to have charmspeak I will not include that in my argumentation.

Okay, so, I've taken a close look at her reaction to being blackmailed when we first meet her, and titans had kidnapped her Dad. A Gryffindor would have straight up talked to their friends if you ask me, but she didn't really pick her site through half the book, she watched how it would play out. 

She wanted to side with Jason, no doubt, she knew the titans were the bad guys. But she stayed objective and tried to find the safest path for her and those closest to her. Jason would have felt betrayed and she would have hated it but he would have lived, with her Dad however, there was his life on the line. 

Only when she figured out that if she listened to the titans they would all die soon, she picked her side because then possibly losing her Dad wasn't the worst possible outcome anymore. She saw the big picture and pushed her emotions aside to act based on facts in a very cunning way. 

Later on, her main ambition was to rid the world of Gaea and to win Jason over, for both she wouldn't stop at anything. She even flat out threatened Drew and told her Jason was hers when that wasn't technically true yet. That's possessive, ambitious, and cunning all at once. 

She has the bravery of a Gryffindor but not necessarily the boldness, she thinks and manipulates, she will fight with her bare hands if she has to, but she prefers not to. A Gryffindor will face a situation head-on and think they can persuade their enemy by telling them they are wrong. 

Piper instead puts herself in the villain's shoes and argues from the villain's perspective, she flirts and makes them think she wants what they want, and then she uses them or gets rid of them, whichever is more useful. So yeah, Slytherin for her.

Jason: sorting him was a bit of a struggle, not gonna lie. I've decided on Hufflepuff because like I mentioned in the fic a lot, he reminds me of a better trained Cedric. 

He is brave like a Gryffindor but its the kind of bravery that's trained in place. He has been fighting since he was two years old, he always knew his life was going to be like that and has accepted it, of course, he looks brave but I don't think that's per nature. 

A Gryffindor in his position would assume they know best and proclaim themselves the leader of every mission. But Jason willingly takes a step back, he recognizes that winning is a team effort and really he is the ultimate team player. 

His main motivation is loyalty, to his friends, to his people, and to the gods. He is who others expect him to be as the son of Jupiter and because of that he is prepared to step up and be a leader but he doesn't feel like it needs to be him. He never complains about the amount of work the gods have put on him, he highly values honesty and he'd do just about anything out of loyalty. 

The only thing that we see make him really uncomfortable, is when he thinks the gods aren't being just. When those he is loyal to have a different value system than him but eventually he accepts it for the big picture. He is an extremely brave Hufflepuff, but still a Hufflepuff. If I would go by bravery, they would all be in Gryffindor but there is more to them all. 

Annabeth: Ravenclaw. Probably the easiest one to sort and I think a lot of you will agree with that.

She has both, Gryffindor and Slytherin qualities, her ambition is very Slytherin but her ultimate ambition is to create. To create a better future, a new Olympus, a perfect world. Sometimes she thinks too complicated but always logically. 

She outsmarts her own fear by convincing herself its logical to go on. She fights in tactics and even for a daughter of Athena she is insanely smart because she values wisdom and tries to get more at every chance. After thousands tried, she was the one who found her Moms statue with purely Ravenclaw methods. 

I also think that while ambition is a strength for Slytherins, its a flaw for Ravenclaws because ambition stifles the act of creation for creation's sake. As soon as its ambition for fame, the results for a Ravenclaw will be less good because they start focusing on the wrong things, while Slytherins gain their motivation from there so it makes them focus better. 

So while ambition is a Slytherin Quality, its a Ravenclaw Flaw, and since its Annabeth's fatal flaw, that just confirms Ravenclaw for me.

Annabeth knows a war isn't necessarily won on the battlefield, we see her act on it over and over again, she has trouble with things that mess with her picture of what's logical (nice cyclops, nice titans, a death riddle that's too easy).

However, she has the open-mindedness to accept Tyson and Bob, while the riddle for her was entirely unacceptable because it was just wrong and there was nothing new to think over. A Slytherin would have shut up and taken the easy success, Annabeth got mad like only a true Ravenclaw would. (She is going to love the door to her common room brb) okay, end of rant.

Hazel: she was probably the hardest to sort. She, in my opinion, has qualities of all houses and some of her choices contradict themselves. That precisely made me decide on Hufflepuff in the end and here's why; 

She will use a Slytherin's methods with a Ravenclaw's brains to do what a Gryffindor would do, but she did it all for Hufflepuff reasons; loyalty. She also has a Hufflepuffs hardworking dedication. 

For her, not having a choice is the worst that can happen to a person based on personal trauma. (Gaea taking all choices away from her to the point where death was the only way out) So she lets her friends choose their fate, even if she doesn't like it, which is extremely just. 

She hates it when Frank is willing to sacrifice himself to free Thanatos, but she accepts it because it was his choice. Her main concern with being back from the dead was that it wasn't just and she was willing to let Thanatos take her for the same reason. 

She followed her friends to what she believed to be her own death out of loyalty and because it was just. She learned to control the mist, which she found uncomfortable because it was manipulation, but she put in a lot of hard work to save those she is loyal to. One of her biggest moments in the entire series is when she meets Hecate who shows her a crossroad of choices. 

Hazel wasn't willing to compromise, she chose the hardest way no matter how much work it would be, for the slim chance that all of her friends will survive. She chooses to be just and loyal and hardworking, over and over again.

Percy: he was almost as hard to sort as Hazel, he causes a different dilemma for me, let me try to explain.  
My heart says Gryffindor, truly. Not because I think all main heroes should be in Gryffindor, I really don't agree with that. But because he reminds me of Harry so so much. 

Yeah, he is snarky and bitter at times and he uses his head when he gets a chance to but we also see him charge problems head on a lot of times. He doesn't always plan ahead, most Slytherins would want to plan ahead while he comes up with his plans on the spot. 

Yeah, he is pretty clever but his recklessness just screams Gryffindor to me. However, because most of you have voted Slytherin and I said I'd stick with your vote for him, Slytherin it is. 

Now bear with me, here is what I've come up with upon closer inspection for how he fits into Slytherin.  
First of all, it puts us in an interesting position plot-wise, because it kind of makes him Harry's flip side, like he has seen just a little too much to be nothing but chivalrous and brave. Which I agree with. 

Then there is his attitude towards the gods, he believes respect needs to be earned which is why he gradually loses his respect for the gods as he realizes his own power, which is rather Slytherin. His biggest flaw is loyalty and a lot of you have argued that that makes him a Hufflepuff but similarly to Piper's situation, I think it could also indicate the opposite. 

Loyalty means strength for Hufflepuffs, but for Slytherins it can be their downfall, hence it's a fatal flaw for Percy. Loyalty can undermine his ambition. Loyalty to Annabeth could ruin his ambition to save the world. While for a Hufflepuff, their loyalty to someone would be the thing that makes them save the world and not prevent them from it. Even if the person that motivated them dies, it would have been the just thing to do.

With every book, Percy is less of a do-gooder by nature. He acts out of ambition, spite, or personal motivation. Like Jason, he is willing to step back and not be the lone leader but for him its because that's the strategic thing to do. They can't have infighting, his ambition to win the war outmatches his natural instinct to lead. He can still influence everything the way he thinks is right and if the others do something he doesn't agree with, he simply won't cooperate. 

He is the kind of guy who doesn't just want to beat his enemy, he wants to beat his enemy so thoroughly that there is nothing left of them. He wants ultimate victory where a Gryffindor would be pretty satisfied with the victory period, no need to tie up all loose ends immediately.

He also admires Annabeths' intelligence about her, because it makes her valuable.  
So I will try my best to highlight Percy's Slytherin aspects in this story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally made it to the sorting! Thank y'all for reading!
> 
> (If you would like to read something else in the pjo universe that I've written, go check out the Solangelo one-shot I wrote the other day! (Yes, I wrote it while procrastinating this story))
> 
> [ **Opposites Attract**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23918182) (1431 words) [](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DropsOfJupiterOnARavenclaw)


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20, Nico

When the way back up finally appeared, Nico had lost all track of time. They climbed out of the cave and were surprised to find themselves in broad daylight. His eyes took longer to adjust and he blinked unhappily as Will already trudged ahead. Damn those Apollo gifts.

Remaining cautious they began pushing their way back through the forest. They weren't too far off course and they'd be back on the street in no time, how they'd proceed after that he had no idea.

Thankfully, Hades had been thoughtful enough to pack them some mortal money. Once they found their way out of the forest and through the eerily quiet village, they decided to go looking for a bus stop. The map they were following was most likely not entirely up to date but it should be good enough to find the address Chiron had given them.

After twenty minutes or so of silence, Nico couldn't take it anymore, "Regret traveling with me already?" He asked as they stalked past another row of identical, expensive houses.

Will watched him carefully but Nico didn't look at him. "Never. Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Trying to see if you've figured out what's good for you, yet," he snarled.

Dopey smile in place Will came closer, "I have," he said and put one arm around Nico's shoulders. 

He wanted to protest, honestly, but how could he when faced with that smile. Instead, he just turned away so Will wouldn't see his red face. 

Eventually, they found a bus stop. Hoping for a quiet ride, they picked a line that drove vaguely in the right direction. 

________________________________________

Frank

The next morning they reunited after breakfast in front of the headmaster's office. Tiredly they greeted each other and exchanged stories about their new houses.

Being part of Gryffindor house did feel like a true privilege. The warm atmosphere of the common room was great, and all the students he had met were pretty cool. Perhaps safe for one guy named Olliver who began pestering him about Quidditch the second he set foot in the common room. Despite it all, he felt lonely. 

Most of last night he had listened to the Wizards he already knew complaining that he was the only Gryffindor among his friends. Frank just listened like he didn't want to complain himself.

The first surprise of the morning came running toward them through the otherwise empty corridor in Gryffindor robes. Frank didn't recognize him right away but Percy and Annabeth did a double-take and their mouths hung open for a second.

Chris Rogriguez came to a stop in front of them, angry scowl in place as always.

"Listen up. I don't know what is being played here, nor do I care. Tell anyone you know me and I'll make you regret it. This is the only part of my life the gods haven't taken over and I'd like it to stay that way. So do not talk to me," crossing his arms he glared daggers at them.

Percy shook out of his daze first, "Chris? Hey, sorry to inform you but the gods-"

He didn't get any further, Chris uncrossed his arms and defiantly took a step forth, "No," he decided, "I'll continue as if you don't exist. The only reason I'm talking to you now is so you don't approach me in front of anyone. Understood?"

Gobsmacked nodding was the only answer he got. That at least explained how Chiron knew Dumbledore, they must have discussed the logistics of Chris being part of both their worlds.

Great, he thought. Another half-blood in his house and it's the most unpleasant son of Hermes. On top of that, he was the one who is dating his least favorite half-sister. He sighed, at least Chris would willingly stay away.

Before they could say anything else, Professor McGonagall appeared around the corner. She eyed Chris warily, who nodded in her direction and stalked off with one last glare.

"Good morning, I hope you have been adequately welcomed by your houses," her gaze lingered on Percy and Piper who pretended not to notice. "Even though, I must admit I was astounded at the houses the sorting hat chose for some of you," she trailed off.

"Please follow me," she briskly turned around and they quickly sat in motion. "The headmaster and I have informed the rest of the teaching staff. We will introduce you shortly, to make sure you can turn to any teacher for help if required."

His housemates had told him that McGonagall was a strict but fair teacher. Hermione certainly seemed to admire her. 

The castle still startled him as they passed one corridor after the next. Moving stairs were only the tip of the iceberg with this place. Everything seemed alive.

McGonagall led them into what must be the teacher's lounge where at least twenty adults were waiting for them. 'Not again,' thought Frank. Explanations round 3 here we go.

The pink toad he noticed yesterday was there too. Her already ugly face twisted into a scowl when she saw them, "I knew right away that there was something wrong with them. Teaching Americans is out of the norm. Worse than that, they are not even pure of blood. The gift of magic should not be theirs," she howled.

First Chris and now this old hag, what a wonderful first day. He exchanged glances with the others, all of whom were deeply annoyed just like him. 

"-Fudge will hear about this!" She ended her rant. 

McGonagall ignored her, "please take a seat," she told the seven. 

Standing at the head of the table she announced, "When the minister of magic insisted one of his people should teach here, Dumbledore has asked in turn to awaken this exchange student program." 

Dryly she added, "Surely nothing could go wrong while one of his ministry officials is at the school," she concluded with a small smirk.

Frank was really beginning to like her. The expressions of the other teachers were parted. Snaps sneered at them and at Umbridge in turns, the other teachers appeared mostly confused.

"Children of the gods," one wizard squeaked. He was about half of Frank's size and had been easy to overlook.

"Yes, Filius." agreed McGonagall, then she turned toward them, "if you would be so kind as to give us a short demonstration of your powers," she indicated for them to continue.

Taking a defiant stance, Piper began, "I will not do anything until that woman apologizes for calling me, a native American, 'not pure of blood' as a degradation," she announced.

Naturally, the other six backed her up. He saw Percy stifle his laughter and he had to admit that was pretty genius of Piper. 

In another life, he wouldn't have dared speak to a teacher like this. In this life, he could transform into a wolf on the spot and had faced more titans than he cared to count. Toad face was barely a minor annoyance.

McGonagall bit back a smirk, "Dolores, prove to our guests that we as teachers are good examples in behavior and not prejudiced children,"

A glaring match took place until Umbridge decided it was below her, "I apologize to this young muggle and advise her not to take offense to the truth in the future," she huffed.

McGonagall raised one eyebrow at her, "I am sure you did not mean to insult her," her voice was dripping with sarcasm, "but as vice headmistress, I have to ask Miss Mclean to inform me immediately should something like this occur again," she nodded at Piper.

To his shock, Snape spoke up next. "Since Miss Mclean is in my house, I do think she should speak to me with any similar concerns. House Slytherin has had to endure a lot and we do not take well to insults. We have preserved our pride," he sneered at Umbridge.

Frank didn't trust the man but it was good to see him sneer at somebody else.

"However, let me take this chance to advise Mr.Jackson and Mr.Grace to keep their temperament in check while in school," he warned, "being in my house, I expect you to act like it, Mr.Jackson."

Whatever that was supposed to mean, Percy curtly agreed. Probably still baffled that the guy had bothered helping Piper.

One after the other the teachers agreed that they would not stand for prejudice and that Piper could turn to any of them. She smirked with satisfaction and Frank was certain he saw steam coming out if Umbridge's ears.

Apparently, McGonagall really had informed the other teachers already, so they thankfully didn't have to go over all the basics again. They began with a quick demonstration of their powers.

Props to Jason who mustered all his anger in a single lightning strike just outside the window. It was so enormous, the table they were sitting around shook and all windows burst open. He also maintained eye contact with Umbridge the entire time.

The pink toad shrieked and the hatred in her expression grew immeasurably fueled by fear. 

Percy went next, he took a deep breath and told the teachers to look outside. The water out of the entire lake was floating above the ground, in the shape of a giant Hogwarts sigil. Students were running around it in awe. In the distance, he recognized the small shape of Chris Rodriguez glaring up at their window.

Impressed gushing came from all of the teachers and they agreed to let them be without any other demonstrations. They did have presumably a million questions each but they refrained from asking them. Snape looked pointedly bored.

Briefly Frank wondered what the teachers who weren't part of the Order thought why they were here. Probably educational value or some other lie.

Hazel squirmed in her seat next to him, "Excuse me, Professor, you are aware that my brother and one other demigod were supposed to join us? We have not heard from them for a long time and I'm worried. Do you by chance know anything regarding them?"

McGonagall sighed apologetically, "I'm afraid not, Miss Levesque. We were unable to find them."

The seven shared sinister expressions. Some teachers looked at Hazel pitifully. Umbridge took her chance.

She scoffed, "and they are unreliable, who would have thought? Should they show up now it would be the wrong message to the students to simply accept them."

"Dumbledore has already decided, of course, we will let our guests in," McGonagall ground out, carefully controlling her growing irritation. "Let me make it clear once more that the students are not to be informed about our guest's true heritage yet. This is an experiment about acceptance and we do not want to divide them before it has begun."

A few more formalities had to be discussed but McGonagall dismissed the meeting fairly quickly. She followed them back outside and the door hadn't closed yet when they could hear Umbridge complaining again. 

Jason and Percy both turned to storm right back in but McGonagall pulled the door shut in front of them. "Let her be my problem. We have more important matters to discuss," she said conspiratorially. 

"This castle helps those it houses in whatever way it can, you need to remember that." It sounded like a comment about the weather but she stared so intently at them that it was clear there was more to it.

Once she was sure she had everyone's attention, she went on, "For example, on the second floor there is a suit of knights armor in the first hallway on the right. I suggest you tell it to have a good day. You can never know what advantages good manners might present you with." 

________________________________________

Harry

Being back at Hogwarts had effectively cleared his mind off all the messed up dark stuff going on. For approximately half a day at least.

Then the seven had been sorted. Even though he technically knew that they had to unite the houses, that he had to unite the houses, it hardly felt real before. Despite the prophecy and finding out about the Order, what really woke him up was seeing Percy in Slytherin.

In the short time that they knew each other, he had really started not just trusting Percy but also looking up to him. Seeing him in Slytherin was like a slap to the face. He thought they had a lot in common, which was rare in his position and it was hard not to feel betrayed.

Only that they did have a lot in common, Harry could have been a Slytherin. If the plan Percy announced on the train had worked out, then the only thing separating them was a single decision. A decision that in his case had been based on two interactions and in Percy's on a quest.

Frustrated he tried once more to concentrate on the article about the Holly head harpies he was trying to read but it was no use. They'd have to attempt to bond with the Slytherins, he kept thinking. 

Hermione was trying her best to adapt to the situation but she was nervous and it was showing. She had changed the book she working with no less than five times in half an hour and snapped at Ron three times. It was bad.

Ron, in turn, complained that they were even attempting to read. He insisted that he was used to that from Hermione but it was a betrayal on Harry's part. He kept repeating that he just couldn't believe the sorting results and Harry silently agreed.

"Worst of all," said Ron through a mouth full of chips, "everyone will know we are friends with Slytherins. Even if it's just Piper and Percy. Give it a week till everyone has forgotten they are exchange students and they will be seen as regular snakes."

Slamming her book on the table in annoyance, Hermione retorted, "we have to talk to some actual Slytherins anyway Ron."

To which Ron replied, "well it's not like that's my fault. Calm down."

Which did not make Hermione calm down. Shocker.

The discussion went on until Frank opened the door to the common room. They all went silent and looked at him.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked uncertainly.

"No," said the three of them simultaneously, the air was thick enough to cut.

Frank tilted his head like he was considering whether to ask or not. "Okayyy. I was hoping to find you here, Percy and Annabeth asked me to get you. They said you got one half of the prophecy and we need to discuss it."

Hermione closed her book and was up in a second, Harry and Ron were a little more sluggish. "Can't we have one nice day?" Ron grumbled.

"I know the feeling, man," Frank chuckled and led the way. 

When they came to a stop in front of a random suit of armor, Harry assumed Frank had gotten lost. Not unlikely for someone new at Hogwarts, this was his fifth year and the stairs still got him sometimes. 

Then Frank greeted the knight and it stepped aside revealing a narrow doorway. Gaping at Frank he thought, 'why don't I ever find secret passages?'

On the other side, the rest of the demigods were waiting for them minus Leo. They lounged on the couch of the comfortable living room. It faintly reminded him of the Gryffindor common room, but less red.

A fireplace illuminated the simple but antique furniture warmly. Notable was also the absence of portraits, he was so used to hearing them chatting all over the place that the silence in this place stood out. 

Hermione inquired where Leo was just as the door opened again and he came in, followed by Fred, George, and Ginny. Hermione threw the Demigods a questioning glance.

It made Harry uneasy to see how many of them would be so closely involved. He was used to relying on Ron and Hermione and nobody else. They never involved others in their scheming, even the less so if they were only beginning to piece the clues together. On the other hand, it did take a lot of responsibility off of him.

Annabeth stopped his pondering, "we have reason to believe that this prophecy directly affects all of us. Most definitely some others as well but we haven't figured out who they are yet, " she shrugged, "safe for Nico but he isn't here yet."

Fred and George regarded her with identical expressions of exaggerated shock. "Wait, I thought you were joking when you said we'd meet Hazels creepy brother," said Fred.

"And he is part of the prophecy?" Added George, "what did it say? Creepiest person you know?"

Percy snorted, "Nico doesn't even make the top ten list of creepiest people I know."

Strongly suspecting that the twins wouldn't laugh any more in a minute when they heard the prophecy, he had to agree with Percy. Seeing him with the Slytherin tie was an additional slap in the face though.

"I'd stop saying that if I were you," Jason shook his head. "Not creepy to us still means he'd kick your ass in his sleep." He gestured for them to sit down.

Ginny picked the empty seat next to a scowling Hazel, "so, what is the prophecy?" she said eagerly.

Annabeth and Percy sighed deeply. Hermione and Ron slumped deeper into their seats.

"We'll have to begin eventually," decided Harry, and recounted the strange lines for them as well as their best guesses to what they could mean. His friends listened intently and he couldn't help the feeling that he was reading them the lines to their doom. A death sentence in a foreign language.

After he was done, Fred spoke up, "hold up, I get why you think that George and I are involved but how do you get 'the son of death' out of 'Angel knight?" He frowned disbelievingly.

"His last name is di Angelo," said the seven as one. 

With a glare, Hazel added, "and I'm growing really tired of how you react every time we mention him. He has seen a lot of bad stuff but that's, not his fault." 

She sighed, "It's impressive he's still alive but that doesn't make him any scarier than Percy or Jason. And if you think that being a son of Hades is what makes him different," she swallowed heavily, "then think again because I am a child of his too," she concluded in a small voice.

The twins looked taken aback. "sorry," said George. "Not how we meant that," added Fred. "It's just that he seems to be involved in all your worst stories somehow, that left an impression."

Hazel accepted it and begrudingly moved on, "there is a lot left to figure out with this prophecy though."

Stressed silence followed as they all pondered the lines. Until Ron decided to change the subject when none of them came up with anything new.

"How'd you find this place anyway?" He asked and glanced around. 

Annabeth scratched her head, still in thought, "McGonagall hinted at it," she answered. "I think she is worried, the teachers are arguing amongst themselves. She thinks they are so busy with their own problems that they won't notice when hell brakes lose for Harry again. She doesn't know what Dumbledore is really plotting and she is hoping to stay more closely involved through us," she gestured at the seven.

He closed his eyes for a second, "good to know that it's not even a question anymore whether hell does break lose or not."

"Harry, I think she is worried about you," said Annabeth seriously.

Frowning he thought that wasn't very likely. Sure, McGonagall was a great headteacher and she cared about her house and all of that. But why should she be worried?

Percy coughed, "it's also noteworthy that the pink devil apparently works for the ministry."

The demigods seemed uncertain what that implicated but the wizard's expressions darkened.

Hermione had her brows furrowed, "that means the ministry is meddling in Hogwarts business. First, the articles about Harry and Dumbledore, and now this." 

Harry's thoughts darkened further as he was reminded of the articles. several of his housemates had taken to staring at him like some curiosity again and he was certain it would only get worse throughout the year. 

He despised constantly being the odd one out. Dumbledore moved him like a pawn on a chess field, his friends barely trusted him, his own house didn't trust him at all. As if that wasn't enough, darkness, in the form of Voldemort's thoughts, came over him every time he closed his eyes.

The demigods were his last hope to get through this without going insane. And that was without attempting to find trustworthy Slytherins. 

'The battle's won when the nemesis gains trust,' who on earth could that be? How did he know when the time came? His vision swam and his head ached dully just from thinking about it. He adjusted his glasses.

Trying to lighten the mood, Leo said, "well, I am honored to be working with you, if you'll have me by your side as a Ravenclaw," he jokingly extended his hand to Fred. 

George pushed his brother aside, "you could be a little more bummed out about not being in our house, but sure." He gripped Leo's hand. Only to be pushed aside by Fred. 

The bickering continued and a small smile rose to Harry's face. At least their spirit hadn'tbe broken.

Jason watched them curiously, his lips quirked up too. Then he frowned, "I take it you don't trust your ministry?" He asked.

Hermione considered it, "I'm not sure, we have not had to interact with them before. I know they respect Dumbledore because the entire wizarding world respects him, but besides that, no idea."

That seemed to ring alarm bells for Percy, he sat up straighter, "and your ministry controls the newspaper? Politics and media are not separate?"

Harry wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this but Hermione caught on and she looked horrified, "officially they are separate but everyone knows that the daily prophet cares about Fudge's approval. They wouldn't publish anything he doesn't like."

Slowly he was getting a grip on where this was going and he didn't like it at all. Ron confusedly gazed at them, the twins listened with interest.

Annabeth took over, "so even if it's not fully intentional, would it be possible that the daily prophet is playing into Fudge's hands? If he doesn't like that people trust Dumbledores judgment, would discrediting Dumbledore help him?"

'Oh no,' thought Harry, so far the ministry hadn't gotten involved in his life a lot but in retrospect that made no sense. They knew a war was coming even if they didn't admit it. They knew they'd have to rely on Harry. Unless they chose to play in an entirely different direction and took his help away instead. He didn't like it but Dumbledore was his strongest ally.

Swallowing heavily he concluded, "then this would be the perfect method to turn the tide on a war that hasn't even begun. They are turning the people against Dumbledore and me, knowing that later they won't trust us when it's crucial that they do."

Frank held one hand up, "hang on, does that mean the minister is on the side of you know who?"

It amused Harry the slightest bit that Frank after such a short time with them had already stopped calling him Voldemort. The discussion itself was putting a damper on it though.

"No," said Ron vehemently, everyone stared at him, Hermione seemed to wonder when he had grown interested in politics.

"My Dad works with him every now and again. Fudge isn't against us, he is afraid," Ron explained.

Anger rose in him like so often these days, the bloody minister had the privilege of being afraid. Fantastic. The guy needed to act, but cowardice got the best of him and hundreds of lives might depend on it.

Carefully Hermione added, "there isn't much reliable info in the news these days, but the way it reads, Fudge hasn't made a real decision in ages. I think he is just a puppet, someone is fueling his fear and controlling him through it.

That was even more depressing of a thought than anticipated. He rubbed his temples, "Fudge has always been worried that Dumbledore might want his job," he remembered, "that's not the truth but it would be enough to blind him."

Jason glared at the air in front of him, "Harry," he said, "when wizards fight a war, what does it look like? Because I've stood on battlefields before but I know nothing about magical fighting. How big is the damage a single wizard can do?" He asked and sounded so sinister that Harry truly could see the war veteran.

He gulped, "none of us were alive during the first war. From what we know it began with raided houses and aimed attacks at muggles and muggleborns. There was no final battle that time, but hundreds of smaller ones all over the place. One fight after the next and countless casualties," he explained.

Biting his lip Percy glanced at Jason and then back at Harry, "how does a wizard kill?"

A cold shudder ran down his back as he remembered it, "you've seen it in my vision. Two words and good aim is all it takes."

The demigods looked stricken and he couldn't blame them. From the stories he had heard from them, he knew they were used to battling things out face to face, with a weapon, relying on skill and bravery. The distance in the wizard's fights must be ghostly to them.

Burying his face in his hands, Jason said, "we need to start training to fight your way as soon as possible. It's not only that otherwise, we don't stand a chance, it's also that if they see us use our powers they will know we are not like them."

He looked up, "I swear to you, in time for the final battle we will get all off our people here to help you. That's two small but really well-trained armies," he said sincerely. 

"But until then, we have a responsibility towards our people as well. If Voldemorts kind finds out we exist, it would only be a matter of time till they attack our homes as well," he said earnestly.

Harry nodded, the surprise effect could work in their favor and he understood that they felt responsible for the safety of their home. "You'd have to train all of them though," he concluded, "like you said, there is a crucial difference in our fighting styles."

Frowning, Percy added, "however, if we could somehow merge these two fighting styles, that could give us a real advantage," he mused.

Harry noticed that Frank curiously glanced at him and he wondered when the guy would stop being so shy. "Will you teach us?" Blurted Frank and ducked away instantly after the words left his mouth. The other demigods also stared at Harry.

'Me?' he thought, they must have lost it. There was no way he could teach them all they needed to know. 

To his surprise, Hermione nodded firmly like she thought it was a great idea. Percy spoke up, "yeah, I think that would work. You taught us before, back at Grimmauld Place. You did a pretty great job back then," he shrugged.

Harry's heart sank, now they really depended on him. Piper saw his face and quickly assured him, "see it as an exchange of information. You train us, we train you, we all walk out of it with more skill."

His throat had gone dry but he found himself agreeing. They were right, he had to step up. 

For the first time in a while, Ginny piped up, "I think we should all train with you. We will all be involved and extra protection can't hurt," she insisted. 

Hermione agreed, so did the twins. Ron mumbled that if his brothers agreed with Hermione, there must be something important going on. So it was settled.

The next half an hour they spent going over potential training plans. Percy and Jason listed everything they thought the wizards needed to know in both, greek and roman fighting styles. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did the same with offensive and defensive spells and hexes.

The twins, Ginny and the other demigods continued plotting and discussing the ministry. 

When they were finished, they were left with two impressive lists that had Harry hoping the deatheaters had the usual courtesy to wait till the end of the school year to attack him. Hermione cast duplicating charms on both the lists so they could each keep a copy.

Despite the amount of work he saw himself faced with, Harry felt better. They had a mission to accomplish even if it was just the beginning at least they were doing something. It gave him a sense of control if nothing else. 

Gradually the conversation began turning normal again. They decided to meet here every day after classes for an hour to kickstart their training. On Thursdays, they'd stay for two hours to discuss any new information they came across. It was all they could do for now. 

Just before they were about to leave as the conversation had turned to the coming Quidditch try-outs, George stopped them.

"What are we going to do about the pink evil? And the daily prophet? Nobody knows whats going on in the real world anymore and it's getting dangerous," he said solemnly.

Harry realized he had never heard one of the twins sound so serious. His heart sunk yet again, the signs how real this was just kept coming. 

Pride for his friends shot through him. As terrible as all of this was, none of them considered even for a second that they didn't have to help him. The twins could ignore the prophecy and deal with their joke shop and the business they were growing but yet they were here.

Hermione stood up with a sigh, "I think we should all try to come up with three ideas regarding that till next Thursday. There is nothing we can do on the spot."

Mumbling their agreement, they made their way back to their respective dorms.

Harry stopped Ron, with all the crazy stuff going on they hadn't spent a lot of time together lately. "Care to fly a few rounds? You know, as training before the tryouts?" 

"Sure, mate." Ron grinned and they rushed to get their gear. 

________________________________________

Percy

The meeting left him feeling accomplished, happily, he went back to his dorm with Annabeth by his side.

At least they could now be sure that their new friends wouldn't drop them because of house differences. He had suspected they wouldn't but it was still good to be sure. As always, the world seemed a little brighter with Annabeth by his side.

They reached the entrance to the Slytherin dungeon and Annabeth scrunched up her nose at the location. Percy just smirked, the location was deceiving but the actual rooms were actually pretty awesome.

He said the password and they entered. Jason and Piper would come after them in a minute. 

In hindsight, the Slytherins shocked expressions should have been an indication. At the time, Percy ignored them. He tugged Annabeth along and dropped into one of the plush armchairs with his girlfriend in his lap.

Her lips quirked up. They decidedly hadn't spent enough time together lately, he thought and studied her beautiful intelligent eyes. She leaned down to kiss him. Life was good.

A second later the appalled whispers of the Slytherins turned louder. He could no longer ignore them. With an annoyed sigh, he leaned back. Annabeth slung her arms around his neck, "maybe they'll stop if we don't acknowledge them?" She said with a wry smile. 

If he thought the reaction to them was over the top, the arrival of Jason and Piper proved him wrong.

The entry swung open again and his friends stepped in, Piper in the lead and holding hands. They spotted him instantly and made it about halfway through the room towards them before the protest started. 

All of Slytherin house was staring at Jason in his Hufflepuff uniform apprehensively. Jason just looked around, mildly baffled, and was about to ignore them. Piper made a show of kissing him shortly but that was the wrong move. 

As one, all Slytherins around them got up from their spots and advanced on them. Theodore Nott in the lead, "Leave. This common room is for Slytherins only."

Loud agreeing from all directions arose. Percy and Annabeth stood up as well.

"I don't see the issue," said Percy and crossed his arms. Jason protectively slung one arm around Piper's waist.

"The problem," growled Nott, "is that we don't want some stupid Hufflepuff do-gooder here. The Ravenclaw isn't welcome either. No one but our own gets to be here, it's been like that for generations."

Jason rolled his eyes, "your traditions are stupid. It's not like I'm moving in, I'm just visiting my girlfriend."

Nott sneered at them, "Nobody asked you, it's bad enough one of our own has such bad taste but we don't need to see that. She should at least have the decency to hide it."

The Slytherins closed in on them. The prejudice sat a lot deeper than he had feared.

Piper glowered, "Excuse me?"

"A Hufflepuff, only thing worse would be a Gryffindor," mumbled Nott sideways.

This was really getting out of hand. "What's so bad about Hufflepuff? None of you even know Jason!" Percy dared to ask. 

"Being with a Hufflepuff is an insult to your own strength and authority" somebody growled but Percy couldn't make out who it was.

They didn't get more of an answer as all four of them were promptly kicked out.

Letting out a stream of hearty greek curses, he found himself sitting on the stone floor in the hallway in front of their common room. Of course, he could have easily stopped them, but they weren't supposed to show their powers. and Drawing a sword would also have been a little questionable, so he just let it happen.

He got up and offered Annabeth a hand, next to them, Piper and Jason were brushing the dust of their uniforms. To his surprise, Piper laughed, "yeah, uniting the houses is gonna be a piece of cake."

They were at square zero. After defeating titans and giants and a single really evil goddess, a bunch of angry teenagers stumped them. The laughter bubbled up in his throat as well, when had their lives turned that ridiculous?

Jason and Annabeth watched them with moderate concern. Jason tilted his head slightly, "Annabeth? I think they're broken."

"We sure know how to pick them," she deadpanned. 

Wiping his eyes as he calmed down he glanced at Piper, she was running a hand through her choppy hair. No doubt she had had the same train of thought.

Annabeth knew how to stifle their laughter once and for all, "Fine. I wanted to check out the library anyways, let's go there. It's for all students, no one will kick us out and we can read up on magic."

All three groaned but since none of them had a better plan, they followed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thank you for reading! Also, thank you for all the amazing feedback on the last chapter! Your comments were really inspiring!
> 
> !!! I can't believe this fic reached 200 kudos !!!  
> I never thought that would happen! Thank you all, again!
> 
> What do you think who each of the seven should be roommates with?


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21, Will

Almost he could have believed they'd make it to their destination without further problems intruding. Almost.

What happened instead, however, was that just before they made it to London, Nico saw something out of the ordinary. He'd never judge Nico but the problem when traveling with a son of Hades is that if they catch a trace, it generally leads to death. A sensible person would have ignored it. Nico wasn't a sensible person.

Getting out of the underground train at the next station, they set out to find the deathly trail. Nico seemed to know where he was going and Will had to hurry to keep up.

They rushed past enormous crowds of people in business casual Monday wear and school kids in uniforms. Through slim alleys and dodgy squares of houses, for almost half an hour. Occasionally Nico would insist the trace was getting stronger, other times he'd suddenly turn around and dash off in the opposite direction.

Will raced after him, apologizing to strangers Nico pushed aside as they went. He hoped this wasn't a trap. They had taken the time to clean up at a cheap motel and were for once well-rested. It was just the tiniest bit too much luck for them and Will was waiting for the next catastrophe to hit. 

Reaching the end of another square of houses, Will saw what Nico must have been sensing the entire time they were running. His friend cursed and kicked a pebble aside, "we're too late." The stone skittered to a halt in front of the destroyed family home.

"It looks like it's been destroyed at least three days ago," asserted Will as he approached the house. He hoped to ease Nico's nerves a little. 

The way Nico almost couldn't face the house, how he stood with his head bowed, Will could clearly tell how upset he was. Even if he tried to hide it.

It was an upsetting sight, truly. Half of the house front was blown away, you could stare into the rooms as if it were a dollhouse. Smashed pieces of furniture, glass, and parts of the brick wall littered the ground. Family pictures hung crookedly on remaining bits of tapestry with their frames shattered. 

With a start, Will realized that Nico blamed himself. For not being there, for not seeing it fast enough. It didn't matter that he had been miles away, he felt he should have been here and in a million other places of equal tragedies at the same time.

Trudging through the shambles of somebody else's life, he began to understand how much pain Nico carried with him. As a healer, he knew what it was like to feel you could have prevented something if you had just been there. Nico felt that all the time. whenever he caught the hint of death and knew it was most likely too late, racing there anyways just in case it wasn't, and being disappointed every time. 

Intruding the stillness of this tragedy frozen in time was just wrong. Nonetheless, they went through the silent routine of checking for any kind of life, clinging to the idea that there was despite knowing better. 

The place was deserted but some of the rooms in the back had remained untouched. They gave off the eerie impression that any second somebody would come home and shoo them out of their house. In the last room, a small home office, they found the corpses. They were forced to accept that there was nothing left for them to safe. 

Four people. two adults, most likely a married couple, and two children. They cowered beneath a desk and the couple had their arms protectively slung around their children. The two girls, no older than six, hid their faces. The eyes of their parents were wide open in shock.

Cold fury flared through him. What kind of monster would do something like this? They had to find and kill who or whatever it was, there was no doubt in it to him. Nico had yet to say anything, he leaned down and examined the dead for a second. Then he closed their eyes.

Already looking for clues, Will rounded the desk. There was no blood and somehow that made the scene worse. Surreal, cold, impersonal. Whatever had happened her was methodical and thoroughly evil. 

From a medical perspective, it was genuinely worrying. He just couldn't determine what had happened to these people and it was driving him insane. No sign of blunt trauma, no bullet wounds, nothing around the eyes or mouths that indicated poison. They wouldn't have hidden from poison either. No strangulation marks. His thoughts kept turning like the most macabre merry-go-round. 

Flashes of what had happened to Nico in the forest came back to him and he felt physically sick with dread. Turning on his heel he faced Nico, and swallowed heavily, "do you know what happened here?" He asked quietly. His throat burned and breaking the silence felt wrong but he had to know. 

Meeting his eyes, Nico hushedly answered, "I have a good guess, and you're not going to like it." In the quiet room, his words carried but his gaze was distant. On days like this, Will despised his life. 

Kneeling down between the rubble, Nico pulled off his backpack and pulled out the book he had taken. They couldn't make much sense of it the other day but now Will's heart hammered in his throat.

Nico only turned two pages to find what he was looking for. Two names, an address, a date, and several signs that had no meaning to him. 

Malfoy and Dolohov were signed at the top of the page. The date matched the day they had had their run-in with evil in the woods. His breath hitched, he wasn't entirely sure where they were but looking at the address in the book, he feared he didn't have to check.

Examining the page Nico mumbled, "that sign," he pointed at a skull with a snake entwined in it, scrawled in black ink at the center of the page. He looked up at Will, "it's floating over the house."

That confirmed his fear if nothing else would. "I didn't see anything," he said lamely.

"It was there," Nico insisted, "faint like its vanishing but clearly that sign. I have a feeling it looked fresher in the night of the murder," he added darkly.

Will pulled him up, "come on, staying here won't do us any good. The mortals seem not to have noticed this yet and I'd rather not be here when they do," he sighed. Being too late sucked.

Allowing himself to be dragged along for once, Nico followed him outside. The book tightly grasped in his hand. As soon as they were back in the sun, Will felt his lung expand. Something in that house had been slowly suffocating him and he only noticed now that it stopped. 

Glancing back one last time, they silently stalked down the street. They had no destination in mind other than 'away'. The longer they were within that dark presence the colder he got, like it was draining him of all emotion. He shuddered and tried to push the feeling down.

They made their way a good few blocks away without looking back until they reached a small park. Nico restlessly trudged ahead but Will stopped him by a weathered bench.

Slumping against each other they paused and Will reached for Nico's hand. He didn't even think about, it was just second nature. Nico didn't push him away, perhaps they could both use the comfort.

It hadn't been the first corpses they saw and it wouldn't be the last. However, there was something so unexpected about that scene, in combination with the cold terror of seeing dead children. It shook him to his core, he felt worn and lonely and utterly powerless. 

Rubbing one hand tiredly over his eyes, Nico flicked the book open again. "This is the only clue we have. And it's almost entirely inconclusive." His tired eyes stared right through Will. 

"All of the other pages are missing information. It's always either an address or some names but no dates. Others just have codes on them that I can't decipher. They might change everything as soon as they realize the book is gone," he cursed. "We have nothing."

There had to be something they could do, Will thought. "What is the next address after this one?" He asked. It wasn't a very scientific guess but it was better than doing nothing. 

"A place called 'little whinging' in Surrey. There is no house number but there a lot of names marked next to it," Nico showed him the page. "You don't think that means they want to take out the entire street? If they only needed two people for the amount of damage we saw earlier," he trailed off.

This just kept getting better. He did a quick count through, "eight names," Will announced. "Including the ones from this attack." 

Nico perked up, "that's our chance to get them. Maybe the only one."

Considering their chances, Will stared at the page blankly. There had to be more. "We don't know enough Nico. You've seen what they can do, we can't go up against eight of them."

"But we have to stop them!" Nico said sounding desperate.

"Of course we do, but not alone. We should call the others," his eyes went wide as the words left his mouth. "Oh gods, we've forgotten to call them. We were supposed to meet them. They must be worried," he grimaced. 

Nico knew the seven a lot better than he did and Will knew that some of them were really protective of his friend. He'd rather not give them a reason to dislike him.

Nico snorted, "they're used to me disappearing, they'll be fine. But since it's their quest as well, I suppose we'll have to deal with them. Let's catch a few evil sorcerers," he said with contempt.

"Let's find a place to send an Iris Message," Will agreed.

________________________________________

Hazel,

She didn't care how bored the other were, she thought classes at Hogwarts were absolutely fascinating. 

History of magic, despite the ghost teacher with the voice of a broken track record, was especially interesting. It added to countless places in demigod-history that made no sense previously. The Ravenclaws had that class with her house.

While Hazel was happy with listening, Annabeth next to her was frantically scribbling notes. All of those notes would find their way back to Camp, Hazel was sure of it. Leo snored two benches over and was doing his best not to get used to the different time zone.

Then there was care of magical creatures which was already her favorite subject, the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors had that class together. She got to watch Frank be all excited about the many animals he had never heard of and it was simply too cute.

The entire day she and the others got weird stares. Some students were just curious about 'the Americans,' but more often than not the stares came because they just kept hanging out together.

After lunch, she took her chance to catch up with Piper and they chatted for a bit. That was until a Slytherin girl came up to them and hissed something at Piper about 'collecting pet Hufflepuffs.' Hazel pouted.

Tense moments like that stretched throughout all of the day. Hazel did her best to ignore it and approached as many students as she could. The Hufflepuffs were genuinely nice once they got over the shock of meeting Jason but students out of all other houses dismissed her fairly quickly.

Pondering what they could possibly do, she made her way to her last class for the day; potions with the Ravenclaws. She didn't know what to expect other than Professor Snape and his consistently bad mood.

In the middle of the hallway, their way crossed with the Gryffindors and Slytherins who had just left the potions lab. A terrible burned smell followed them. 

Hazel made eye contact with Annabeth over the crowd, 'what's wrong?' She mouthed but Annabeth just shrugged.

The second she spotted Percy she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. There was coal smudged over the left half of his face and his hair looked like it had been forcefully hairsprayed to the left. One arm of his robes was burned and he carried a half-melted smoldering cauldron at arm's length.

Hazel grabbed the shoulder of Jason who was walking next to her and tried her best to hide her laughter. Jason looked around in confusion.

Behind Percy, Harry and Ron had trouble walking because they kept laughing so hard they had to lean against each other. Hermione and Piper ran in circles around the group trying different hexes to clean up a disgruntled looking Percy. 

Annabeth raced towards them to check on Percy, Jason had finally caught on and was also stifling his laughter.

Pansy Parkinson stalked past the group, her makeup was ever so slightly smudged and her hair and robes were smoldering. Behind her was a Gryffindor boy who looked worse than Pansy and Percy combined. Hazel recognized him has Leo's friend Seamus and a lightbulb turned on over her head.

Despite having taken the least damage, Parkinson looked by far the most upset. The others had noticed it too.

Hermione had finally found the right spell to help Percy, who other than his shortened robe, looked decent again. Whatever precisely had occurred in the classroom didn't seem to be too out of the ordinary. Most students simply ignored them.

It was hard to keep an eye on all of them in the chaos that was the Hogwarts hallways between classes. She caught a glance of Piper, who dragged a scowling Pansy and a hesitant looking Hermione around the corner into a more abandoned corridor. Now that was interesting.

She didn't have time to dwell on it though. Judging by what she'd seen, she wouldn't be surprised if Snape was in an especially foul mood and she'd rather not risk being late to his class. The masses of students dragged her along anyway.

________________________________________

Piper,

"Pansy, by the gods just let her help you!" Piper insisted for the fifth time.

"You're delusional! I'm not letting her point a wand in my face. Draco saw us turn around that corner, he'll be so pissed if he guesses I even considered this!"

Piper rolled her eyes, "If he is really your friend, he'll rather have you get help from an unlikely source than see you make a fool of yourself with your lipstick smudged all over your face like that."

That might have been a tad exaggerated but if that's what it took she'd gladly do it again. Pansy touched her face, panic showing in her eyes.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm helping you because I'm Piper's friend not because I want to," clarified Hermione with an annoyed sigh.

Pansy sneered at her but she didn't complain further when Hermione raised her wand this time. Piper relaxed a little and hid her smirk as she watched Hermione's magic which was nothing less than perfect. This was a first.

"Thanks," grumbled Pansy as Hermione handed her a small pocket mirror, she admired her reflection. "I owe you," she said with dawning horror on her face at the realization. Her mask returned quickly.

That almost made Hermione's lips quirk up. "I don't know if that's stretching it a little, but if you'd stop calling me a muggleborn every chance you get," she proposed, "then I might consider helping you again some time."

Pansy considered it for a few seconds and seemed on the verge of agreeing when she took a deep breath. "Look, let me do you a real favor instead. You don't want me to stop, what you want to do is turn your weakness into your strength. When someone calls you muggleborn, you tell them, 'damn right, and I'm still smarter than you. Then you hex them."

She nodded thoughtfully, "That's how you get them to stop.  
Everyone and not just me. Tell them, 'and I've met muggleborns twice as good as me. If you think I'm scary, hope you never met them because we're all used to beating up weak, entitled idiots like you."

"We had to fight our way up," mumbled Hermione.

"Exactly!" Said Pansy and there was an interesting sparkle in her eyes, "I knew you had it in you, Granger. I never got how you hadn't figured that out by now, that was honestly quite frustrating to watch."

Hermione eyed her warily, "Why do I feel like I'm the one who owes you after all?"

"I'll get back to it," smirked Pansy. "And now we will walk to Herbology, I am taking the shortcut with Piper here, you'll walk the long way so we're not seen together," she decided.

Before Piper could say anything, Pansy gripped her wrist and yanked her along as she whirled down the corridor. She shot Hermione an apologetic glance and hurried along.

Perhaps this was a beginning. If they needed a truce before they could build up trust, then that was what they'd work on. 

________________________________________

Frank,

Classes were over and he'd had an overall pretty good first school day. Especially care of magical creatures had been fun.

There was a minor incident in potions class when a boy named Seamus Finnigan managed to explode his cauldron. Unluckily for Percy, Seamus had been his lab partner and the two took the brunt of the explosion. 

No one got hurt, but Professor Snape took thirty house points from Gryffindor, which seemed to be a big deal for the students. They groaned and cursed Seamus who glared at Snape. Percy, in turn, tried to politely console the boy, which almost got him hexed because Finnigan assumed Percy was making fun of him.

On their way out, Frank caught up with Seamus and his friend Dean. He tried his best to explain that Percy was actually a nice guy and that they shouldn't cross with him for trying to find friends. He wasn't sure that they bought it but they didn't outright call him a liar either so he counted it as a win.

In time for their first daily training session, he was back by the knight on the second floor. Ginny had suggested that they show up in five-minute intervals, two people at a time to make sure nobody got suspicious. 

Ginny and Frank were alone in the corridor, having walked there together from their common room. He quickly murmured the password that had been changed to 'Camp Half-Blood,' and slipped inside their secret base. Ginny was right behind him.

Hermione and Annabeth were already waiting for them, unsurprisingly bent over their homework. Ginny joined them.

Mumbling his greeting, he asserted the room. Sure, it was nice and cozy but it wouldn't do for training. He paced it a few times, the amount of space wasn't bad. Eight meters in width and nine in length if they pushed some of the furniture out of the way. 

That didn't change that they had nothing to train with besides their weapons. He doubted that Professor McGonagall would appreciate it if they sliced up the furniture. 

Leo and Hazel came in next. He was wearing his tool belt over his uniform and a thinking frown on his face. He barely even said 'hello' before he began pushing furniture around. 

Hazel came over and gave him a short kiss. Frank realized he missed not seeing her all the time. 

When Leo pushed over a table and attempted to detach one of its legs, Frank stopped him.

"I don't think we should demolish school property, Leo. This isn't Camp," he said with a small smile.

Leo detached the leg. "What?" He asked with a startled expression. "Did you say something?"

Sighing, Frank thought if they hadn't been through so much together there were times when he'd really like to strangle Leo. He raised on eyebrow at the now three-legged table.

"Oh," said Leo, and scratched his head. "I'm sure the wizards can magic it back together, right?"

Just then, Fred came through the door followed by Jason. It was weird to see him without his twin, like salt without pepper. "I'm fairly sure we can repair that," Fred agreed, "keep going, looks interesting. If we can't fix it, it's not me who is going in detention," he shrugged.

That was all the approval Leo needed and Frank decided to let him be. Jason grimaced but he didn't say anything. They had all learned that Leo couldn't and shouldn't be stopped when he had an idea. 

George and Harry came in next and the twins quickly began assisting Leo. Frank started pushing furniture out of the way.

By the time Ron, Percy and Piper had joined them, the room was beginning to look like a training court. Leo had successfully built three wooden men that spun around. They'd do a fair job as first aiming practice. 

Annabeth went over and painted point charts over the best hit areas. Hermione enchanted it to make it more durable. Then they began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thanks for reading!  
> I know it was a really short chapter but I decided I'd rather post less than nothing at all. The next chapter will hopefully be longer again! I hope you enjoyed it!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22, Harry

The first training session went about as well as expected. One hour he and the other wizards spent thrashing at the wooden figures with borrowed weapons in turns. They'd attack and the demigods would critique them and give them a few tips as someone else tried their luck. Round after round.

It was exhausting and annoyingly slow progress. They didn't want to risk exchanging weapons again so Leo built a few wooden knock-offs that had roughly the right size and weight.

The problem was that none of the wizards knew what kind of weapon was right for them. Ron picked something the size of a longsword and almost fell over when Jason dropped it in his hands. 

Harry himself fairly quickly decided on a shape that reminded him of the gladius Percys' sword had turned into for him. The weight was a little off and it didn't feel nearly as good as the real thing. With the gladius, he had had the feeling that it led him. This weapon didn't help at all and quite frankly he felt a little stupid for beating up their improvised dummies with it.

Fred and George had each chosen a long and a short dagger, which meant that Annabeth hyper-focused on them because apparently, that was a difficult fighting style. "They are equally for defense and offense, so you have to know both equally well," she insisted.

Hermione and Ginny both made rather odd choices, in Harry's opinion. The thing Ginny picked was an old Egyptian battle ax called a khopesh. It was strangely curved and insanely heavy. 

Hermione decided on something that looked like a long stick to Harry. Hazel explained it was a javelin similar to her own and that technically a shield belonged with it. Annabeth also equipped the girls with two throwing knives each. 

The seven took turns in circling around them and going over the basics. Beginning with the right way to hold the weapons, going over how-not-to-kill-yourself and ending with the right stance and most basic maneuvers.

The Greeks and Romans had crucially different ways of going about this. Percy would encourage them to 'just wing it,' and see what their instincts told them to do before correcting them. Jason, on the other hand, insisted that they had to know the theory first. 

Jason had them advance on the dummies with their weapons twenty times until he was satisfied with the way they walked. Harry was close to lashing out at him when he finally allowed them to move on.

One hour later his lungs burned and exhaustion washed over him in waves, it reminded him of an especially taxing Quidditch training session. The others didn't look much better, they panted and wiped their faces. Hermione leaned against the wall and Ginny tried to stretch out her arm with a grimace.

They'd all be sore tomorrow but if it gave them even the slightest advantage on the deatheaters, it was worth it. 

Despite the exhaustion, they decided to keep going for another hour. This time it was the demigods turn to learn something new. 

Harry began going over wand movement with Leo and Frank who both needed a lot of help, while Fred dueled with Annabeth and Percy.

It wasn't a real duel but the fact that they could keep up already was a good sign. After all, they hadn't ever held a wand before last week. They began with stunning spells, easy but effective. 

Annabeth grew fond of 'petrificus totalus,' right away. She checked twice that it didn't do any permanent damage before promptly testing it on Leo.

A little later, Percy managed a pretty decent shielding charm. Fred and George cast all kinds of minor hexes on it until it eventually broke after five minutes. It wouldn't last against the unforgivables but for the moment it was good enough.

By the end of the lesson, they had made a fair amount of progress. The seven were eager to learn and they at least no longer looked as awkward and rough with their wands as they had in the beginning. 

Right away Harry had noticed that Percy had a fixation on offensive spells while Annabeth favored defense. It made them a fantastic team but he needed to remember to challenge them both on opposite tactics. 

Leo was good with tricky charms and hexes that focused on enchantments like changing the color of objects. Harry supposed it was the magical side of his talents with machinery. 

Hazel had an overall good grasp on magic but she kept forgetting to use her wand, she'd just raise her hand and get decent results anyways. Frank seemed strangely talented when it came to transfiguration. 

Jason was fine with both offense and defense, he wasn't as good as Percy and Annabeth but his talent was more evenly split on both sides. Piper appeared to struggle with just about everything that wasn't related to the dark arts. 

Harry didn't like it but he supposed magic was only as good as what you used it for. He asked Hermione to research good spells with shady backgrounds, in Piper's favor. He also remembered that she had done a fair job at potions earlier today and at this point, they had to exploit any talent. 

With some coaching, the seven were easily able to pick up just about any spell that he, Ron, and Hermione could do. For now, they just had to memorize the words and by next week they'd begin working on more complicated magic.

Thinking about lesson plans and the best way to teach the Patronus charm, he allowed himself to drop on the couch they had moved back in front of the fireplace. The others followed suit and for a second there was nothing but tired silence.

"We need a way to stay in contact," mused Hermione unpromptedly. "In case something immediate comes up, you know?" 

Mumbled agreement met her but no one seemed to have any ideas. "I'll research it," sighed Hermione after a while. 

The twins were the first to depart. Apparently, they had to keep up appearances elsewhere. Most likely in relation to their joke business, Harry felt bad for them, after all the training they put up with they had even more work to do. 

With a groan he remembered his own mountain of homework, this would surely be an exhausting year if nothing else. His thoughts drifted to the Gryffindor common room, and he was less than eager to get back.

This morning another article about him had been in the daily prophet, even worse than the last. It was just wrong, there wasn't a single correct fact in the whole damn article, but the entire wizarding world believed it and there was nothing he could do. Dumbledore was infuriatingly calm about the whole matter and the suspicion was creeping up on Harry that the old man was avoiding him on purpose. He felt lost.

They'd discussed the previous articles so much that Harry didn't want to bother Ron and Hermione again. He kept quiet, fuming at every word as they shot him worried glances.

It didn't help his situation that Percy attempted to prove that Slytherins and Gryffindors could be friends by pointedly talking to Harry every chance he got. He knew he should appreciate the effort, but since his housemates didn't exactly think highly of him it did zero good. 

Their high spirits were admirable but he had to wonder how long they'd last. He heard the mumbling in the corridors more than they did, maybe because he was used to it or maybe they were ignoring it. But they couldn't dismiss it forever. 

He heard that Piper and Percy had been briefly kicked out of their common room and it worried him. All their efforts would be for nothing if the Slytherins decided to shut them out, they had to go slower.

Voicing his thoughts, he fiddled with his wand. That was another thing to get used to; they all actually listened when he spoke and it was kind of intimidating. Even Ron and Hermione paid attention, they never did that if it was just the three of them. 

There was something about Percy and Jason that just had that effect on people. If they deemed something important, everyone else cared too. They nodded along thoughtfully.

Once he was done, Piper chimed up and gave them a summary of her and Hermione's conversation with Parkinson. "Later on she told me that a lot of Slytherin students just use the whole muggleborn thing because it has such a strong effect. It's kind of like a shield or like bringing a hammer to a fistfight," she finished with a shrug.

Harry regarded her with raised eyebrows, now that was interesting. He wasn't sure what to think of Hermione having a civil conversation with Parkinson but he supposed it was necessary. Ron next to him revolted but Piper ignored him.

"It makes sense if you think about it," she went on, "Pansy's advice I mean. If you want to beat them, you have to fight like them. Figure out what they respond strongly too," she urged.

Harry glanced up. He did understand, only that he wasn't happy about it. "Bring your own hammer to the fistfight," he said with realization. 

The others scowled irritatedly, only Percy clapped in his hands, "great, let's find a hammer!" He said. The other chuckled a little but no one seemed too enthusiastic. 

Allowing the conversation to drift off, he just stared at the fire for a while. The dancing flames spread familiarity across the room be had only seen twice and he didn't mind it at all. 

Just as he was considering to write to Sirius later, Hazel interrupted his thoughts. 

"I'm going to try and call Nico again," she announced and got up. 

Percy groaned, "again? You've tried three times today already. Maybe the connection is broken, or Iris is mad at us," he supposed.

Staying insistent, Hazel got a bottle of water and a golden Drachma out of her school bag. "We have to reach them eventually, so if you were so kind," she gestured at the bottle.

Percy obliged and formed a floating water screen in front of Hazel with a lazy wave of his hand. "It always has to be complicated with that guy," he grumbled. Leo produced a flashlight out of his tool belt and went to assist.

Watching Hazel as she said the incantation, he supposed that it was an awful lot more convenient than owl post. The rainbow shimmered in the middle of the room and turned dark for a second. It's colored returned and the spiel repeated itself a few times as Hazel cursed about the bad connection in the castle.

"We've been trying to reach you," greeted them a young guy with jet black hair and eyes. Harry recognized him as Hazel's brother right away even though they looked nothing alike. He wasn't sure why but there was just that same something about them, only that he radiated death slightly more.

It should have bothered Harry but for some reason it didn't, death itself was hardly to blame. The blame was on those who inflicted it. 

The connection was awful, it wavered and shook but they understood him well enough. "We need to meet up, we have information that might concern your quest."

"Our quest," corrected the blonde guy behind Nico, they appeared to be in a random street in the middle of London.

Jason sighed, "so you've figured it out too? I think we really do have a lot to talk about. Where the hell are you?"

"Are you okay?" Added Hazel worriedly.

With an eye roll Nico assured his sister they were fine, "we're somewhere in London, we'll make it out of the city by dawn but I'm not sure how long it will take us to get to you from there. I think something is following us and once we're away from all the people it will most likely attack."

Harry was itching to ask what they could possibly have found out but considering the two were being followed it could probably wait. 

Next to him, Hermione frowned, "will they even be able to find Hogwarts? Its location is supposed to be impossible to find for none-wizards," she informed them.

The blonde behind Nico addressed her, "according to Chiron the place we should go to is called Grimmauld place. No house number, you'd meet us there?" It sounded like an inquiry. 

"Only that we're not there anymore," summarized Percy and pushed his hair back. "Stay in the city and try not to let your follower get you in the dark. I'll come and get you," he decided.

All heads turned to face Percy. Hermione shrieked that they couldn't just leave the school grounds whenever they liked but Harry felt a small grin spread on his face. Sure, it was kind of a stupid risk to take but he liked that about Percy.

Nico nodded and before they could exchange another word, the connection broke.

Everything seemed simple with Percy, a friend needed help so he'd go and help, end of discussion. Harry understood that. So did Jason apparently, "I'll come with you," he announced. 

The other demigods protested that they wanted to come as well but Percy shot them down. "Jason and I can take Blackjack and Tempest to get there. No one will see us and we will be back in time for classes tomorrow. You need to cover for us here."

Begrudgingly the remaining demigods agreed. Harry was about to ask who Blackjack and Tempest were when Percy and Jason both got up walked towards the window. They opened it and whistled outside. 

Simultaneously, Annabeth emptied her school bag and only put a small ziplock bag of golden squares and vials of golden liquid back in. Frowning thoughtfully, she added her New York Yankees cap, which made no sense to Harry.

"You should at least go and get some real coats," she commented and handed Percy the bag. Just at that moment, two horses appeared in front of the window.

'We are on the second floor,' thought Harry lamely. 'How?'  
He took a closer look and saw that the black horse that Percy was talking to had giant eagle-like wings that were flapping at its side. The grey and white horse that unruly waited for Jason however, didn't have wings.

The second one was by far the more confusing sight. The longer Harry stared at it, the less sure he became of what it was. Its shape was constantly shifting and sometimes it appeared almost blue in the sunlight. 

"That's Tempest, he's a wind spirit," explained Jason like that was supposed to make any sense. Harry halted, okay maybe that did make some sense.

Percy said his goodbyes to them, "we need to leave right away if we want to be back in time," he apologized and kissed Annabeth goodbye. Jason did the same with Piper. Then the two jumped out of the window. 

He gasped but a second later they reappeared, each on the back of their respective horse. Or wind spirit. Percy mumbled something about buying donuts, they waved back and dashed off. Two teenage halfgods on flying horses over the castle grounds in the late afternoon sun, a strange sight but Harry was inclined to believe he'd seen stranger things.

Piper and Annabeth grumbled about stupid boys who couldn't wait till after dinner or at least get jackets. Harry smirked and hoped they'd teach him.

One after the other they made their way back to their common rooms. By the time dinner rolled around, he was still trying to get over the fact that his two friends jumped out of the window, literally. 

McGonagall shot them suspicious glances, she must have noticed two of them were missing but she didn't call them out on it. Frank was already pretty well integrated with the Gryffindors and Harry was glad to see how well he got along with Neville.

The rest of the day went by relatively eventless. Harry did end up writing that letter to Sirius and he played chess against Ron (he lost miserably) and he was perfectly happy to be back home.

Before he knew it they went up to their dorms, he postponed his homework to the next day. The room had changed to accommodate another person when the year began and Frank was now also a roommate of his.

It was actually quite lucky to have Frank around, between Dean and Seamus arguing, Nevilles constant talk about plants and Ron being Ron it was good to have Franks calm presence reminding them all not to act like children. 

Though he did suppose that Dean and Seamus' bickering had changed somehow. He wasn't sure what it was exactly but they seemed different, he dismissed it thinking that maybe they'd just grown up. 

With the amount of training they'd gone through that day, Harry fell asleep within a matter of minutes. Just before his conscience slipped away, he wondered where Percy and Jason were right now and if they were doing okay. Then the nightmares took him.

________________________________________

Jason,

It was the middle of the night by the time they reached London. So high up, darkness shrouded them but the unmistakable city lights lead the way. A third pegasus, a deep brown steed who was a friend of Blackjacks was traveling with them. 

Half an hour ago they took a short break, bought some donuts for Blackjack, and iris messaged Nico again to get a precise address. 

Trafalgar Square came into view and despite the late hour, it was packed with mortals. They were really counting on the mist now and he was aware of it.

Soaring through the air on Tempest could somewhat be compared to a waterslide in winter. Frigid wind was biting at them but he was too busy trying to hold on to care. Only during their break, when he saw that his fingers were turning blue, did he notice the cold.

Percy was doing even worse. The air was Jason's territory, after all, he adapted to it in an instant. But Percy was shivering all over and Jason could hear his teeth clink together even at their distance. Whenever he suggested another break, Percy shot him down.

The three horses touched down in the middle of the square, not a second too early. In the midst of the people, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace were facing off against five Dracanea. The ugly monsters had surrounded them and Nico was limping. He still managed to hit one on the head with the flat of his sword but it was obvious they wouldn't last much longer.

Leaping off Tempests back, Jason threw his coin and caught a golden javelin. Percy mirrored him, and Riptide in hand he charged at the Dracanea. Absentmindedly Jason wondered how long the fight had been going on before they arrived and cursed himself for insisting on that one break. 

"About time," greeted them Nico, as Jason joined him by impaling one Dracanea from behind. In a split second, Percy was at his other side and sliced the next monster in half. 

The mortals around them had formed a circle and some were clapping, noted Jason irritably. The mist appeared to have a sense of humor and decided to disguise them as street artists, Jason guessed.

Will advanced on the next beast with a slim dagger but he too had been wounded. If Nico hadn't stepped in, it would have bitten off Will's hand. The thing disintegrated and in the darkness, Nico's black sword was almost invisible. Just a deadly reflection gliding through the air. 

One of the remaining Dracanea complained in a strong British accent that the brochure had said there were no Demigods in England. It wailed.

Percy and Jason got rid of the last two Dracanea smoothly and stashed away their swords. Will and Nico were panting but mostly unharmed.

"We have about five minutes until the next flood gets here. They send them in groups of ten," Will informed them breathlessly.

Jason hugged Nico briefly, who scrambled away and growled at him not to get sentimental. They'd work on that. 

He greeted Will with a short handshake. Percy hugged them both, again Nico tried to get away but this time much more insistently. 

"Let's not waste any time then," declared Percy cheerfully and whistled for their horses who had wisely stayed away. Blackjack whinnied and Percy glanced at him, "yes, yes, I'll see what I can do about getting you more Donuts once we are back," he promised.

Jason grinned at his two exhausted friends. It was good to see them, even if it was because of another quest. He couldn't wait to show them around Hogwarts, he hadn't been there for long but he had come to like the castle already. 

"Pick your ride," he told them, "we didn't want to risk taking four horses, there is only so much the mist can do, you know?" He shrugged, "Two of us will have to share."

Nico and Will glanced at each other and after a one-second silent discussion, Nico answered, "Will and I are going to ride together," he decided tonelessly and climbed on the brown steed. Solace took Nico's outstretched hand and climbed on behind him. 

Jason watched them for a second and a thought was beginning to form in his head. It technically wasn't any of his business but he had been so sure Nico would insist to ride alone that this got him thinking. He raised one eyebrow as at Nico who ignored him. 

'Good for them,' thought Jason and stifled his grin. Admittedly, taking only three horses had been a test for Nico, but he didn't need to know that. 

Percy didn't get what passed between them. The guy kept surprising Jason, you want he dead perfect strategic plan to take out 200 enemies? Sure, Percy could do that. But unless someone asked him to think about it, social stuff went right over his head. How he ever managed to ask out Annabeth remained a mystery. 

He shook his head as they silently took off into the night, followed by the awed clapping of dozens of mortals. 

________________________________________

Will

The gash on his shoulder was throbbing painfully and after hours of fighting, the icy night air was a welcome relief. He held on to Nico and had both their backpacks slung over one arm. Uncomfortable but safe, he decided. It was good that they had each other.

Earlier he thought for a second that Nico would abandon him to ride alone and his heart did a delighted somersault when he didn't. Jasons' eyes lingered on them and Will felt himself blush but what did it matter? 

Riding a pegasus was foreign but as a child of Apollo, he didn't mind being high up in the sky. It felt freeing, almost intoxicating to race along. Nico was with him, and for the moment they were invincible. The city lights were growing faint in the distance and the wind rushed in his ears. 

Nico however, held on tensely, he wasn't enjoying the ride at all. Worriedly Will remembered the deep cut on Nico's leg that he got fighting those stupid monsters. "Are you okay?" He asked and pressed himself closer to Nico.

"Don't like not being on the ground," Nico confessed, "but I'm fine." Will held onto him a little tighter anyway and Nico seemed to relax the slightest bit.

They flew throughout the entire night and the first rays of sunlight were coming up by the time Jason yelled over his shoulder that they were almost there. Will looked up and silently greeted his Dad. One especially bright ray of light caught in a lake not too far from them and Will smiled. Maybe it had been his imagination, but as a demigod, you took whatever you got in terms of recognition from your parents. 

Not much later, a castle came into view. 'That couldn't be their destination,' he thought awestruck. It's many towers stood harshly against the pastel blue morning sky. The entire building g was somehow imposing and welcoming at the same time. Light shone behind a few windows but this early in the morning it seemed mostly asleep.

Jason steered his strange tame wind spirit down towards the lake. "That's the school," he said pointing at the castle and gained speed. They followed him and grazed the water ever so slightly as they rushed on. The sunrise was a true spectacle that morning and Will knew he should have felt tired but being out in the sun always made him more alert.

Behind them, they faintly heard Percy curse in colorful greek. Glancing back, he saw that Blackjack had come to an abrupt stop in front of the lake to get a drink. He chuckled as he saw how Percy held on to the horse's neck in order to not fall into the lake. 

Nico had finally gotten used to flying and now that they weren't as high up in the sky anymore, he could also appreciate Percy's cursing. 

Awkwardly turning to see how Percy was doing, Nico came almost face to face with Will. His breath hitched and he couldn't help but think that by demigod standards, this was a pretty perfect morning. He had rarely felt so alive without being in the midst of a battle.

In only got better when on a whim, Nico leaned forth and kissed him. It was a short kiss and before he knew it Nico was facing away from him again, after all, they were balancing on a flying horse. This really wasn't the time for kissing but Will beamed brightly. 

Percy raced past them on Blackjack in an attempt to catch up to Jason who was far ahead. "I saw that," he yelled at them over his shoulder with a mischievous smirk. 

'Couldn't that guy ever shut up?' Will thought as he felt himself turn beet red. Nico ducked away in embarrassment but Jackson was too far ahead for them to reply something.

Deep green hills passed below them and they were gaining height again. The castle in front of them grew with every second. As they got closer, Will could make out more details and the place just unfolded into an even more wonderous one. 

He didn't know how much time had passed but the sun was fully up by the time they came up right in front of a giant wooden gate. Carefully they landed on the lush green lawn. Through every single one of the hundreds of windows, people seemed to be watching them. 

'What on earth was this place?' He wondered, promptly followed by the question of how long they'd been in sight of the windows.

Percy jumped off Blackjack and ran towards them, "welcome to school," he said. They both climbed down and awkwardly thanked their horse, it whinnied and nudged Will.

"School?" Asked Nico, sounding mildly terrified. 

Jason walked towards them, "long story. Most importantly; magic school, pretend to be wizards. We will explain everything else later," he said hastily as the gates opened.

A woman with stern features and her hair in a strict grey bun came through, approaching them hurriedly. She wore emerald green robes and carried what Will now recognized as a wand in one hand. If this was a school for magic, she had to be a teacher.

His guess was confirmed when she began shouting at Percy and Jason the second she reached them.

"Percy Jackson. Jason Grace. Detention," she screeched out of breath, and glowered down on them, "be glad I got here before Professor Umbridge did," she warned them with another glare so fierce, Will suddenly wanted to turn in his history essay from three years ago. He took a step back.

Nico looked amused if anything as Percy and Jason sheepishly apologized. "Professor McGonagall, we didn't have much of a choice," began Jason.

"And we were back in time for classes," Percy added unhelpfully. "They were in trouble, somebody had to go. Asking for permission first would have taken way too long."

"I strongly advise you to find a way to ask for permission next time anyways. After breakfast, you will come to my office and we will discuss what happened and when you will facing detention," she announced but the sternness in her voice was already ebbing down. 

Then she turned toward Will and Nico, eyeing them worriedly. "Your arrival may have been unconventional, but none the less, welcome at Hogwarts. I am professor McGonagall, headteacher of Gryffindor house and vice headmistress. Please follow your friends to my office after breakfast so we can get you sorted." She nodded with satisfaction.

"Mr. di Angelo, I'm assuming?" She turned to Nico who nodded curtly. "Your sister has been extraordinarily worried about you, I suggest you sit at her table until we know what house you belong to.

"And Mr. Solace, feel free to choose who you will follow for the day," she ended.

All that talk about houses confused him almost as much as the fact that she knew their names. He kept up the pretense and just agreed with everything.

Professor McGonagall turned briskly and walked back toward the castle, they went after her. In the doorway, they were met with another angry looking woman, this one entirely dressed in pink. 

McGonagall pursed her lips and Percy and Jason glared at her. She took a deep breath as if she was about to begin a tirade. McGonagall stopped her by telling her 'everything had been handled orderly' and pulled her away down the corridor. 

Sighing gratefully, Percy pulled them in the opposite direction, "thank the gods we don't have to deal with that toad right now. I'm starving, let's get breakfast."

Turning around a corner they found themselves in front of another gate, Jason stopped them. "Before we go in; this school is split into four houses based on personality. Until you know in which one you belong, don't talk to anyone you don't know. There is only a handful of students who knows were demigods and it's crucial for the mission that the others don't figure out we're different. They think we are American exchange students, just so you know."

"We are what?" Said Nico but before he got an answer Percy pushed the door open.

The hall was giant, floating candles, and the real sun illuminated it since it had no roof. Will instantly loved it. Four tables stood in the center and all the students stared at them.

Kids from each table jumped up and the rest of the seven ran towards them from different directions. Before they could protest or flee, they got engulfed in a giant group hug. 

No wonder he hadn't recognized them right away, thought Will as Annabeth let go of him. They were all wearing school uniforms and cloaks and the image thoroughly confused him. Until then he hadn't paid much attention to what Percy and Jason were wearing but they too wore uniforms with different colored ties. Wierd.

In his orange CHB shirt, he stuck out like a sore thumb and grimaced for a second. Nico at least was wearing black (as usual). 

The group dissolved as quickly as it came together, urged by the stares of hundreds of other students. Hazel dragged them along to her table. She loudly announced that they were the two exchange students their group had been waiting for and that they were now complete. Followed by the plea not to bother them right now because they had a long journey behind them. Nico next to him snorted.

Jason took it upon himself to glare at everyone who tried to approach them and they hurriedly loaded their plates with breakfast. It had been a while since they last had a real meal and the food smelled delicious. He could marvel at the strange castle later.

It by far wasn't the only thing on his mind anyway, he thought and glanced at Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, please please please leave a comment!
> 
> (Unrelated note, my solangelo oneshot is close to 100 kudos, thanks to all of you who left some love there!)
> 
> [ **Opposites Attract**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23918182) (1431 words) by [**DropsOfJupiterOnARavenclaw**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DropsOfJupiterOnARavenclaw)


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23, Jason

After breakfast, McGonagall waited for them in front of the great hall. Instead of her office, she ushered all nine of them to the hospital wing. 

They passed Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were on their way to class and silently questioned them what was going on. Percy mumbled something to Harry but they couldn't stop and talk. 

Glancing at Nico, who was limping, he concluded that it was a wise plan change. Blood was beginning to seep through Will's Tshirt where he had a nasty cut on his shoulder. 

Jason sped up his pace and even though McGonagall shot them worried looks, he got the impression that there was another reason they weren't going to her office. He didn't ask. 

The instant they set foot in the hospital wing, a strict but kind looking nurse came bustling towards them. She argued with McGonagall about the number of uninjured students in her hospital wing and gestured for Will and Nico to sit down on one of the beds.

Will and Nico didn't oblige. They stood unsurely next to each other and glanced at Percy and Annabeth waiting for confirmation. Jason had a vague idea of how they must be feeling, this entire mission had been dumped on them without the prior warning at Grimmauld place the rest of them had gotten.

"You have my word that you can trust everyone here. All the teachers here know who we really are, it's safe," he assured them quietly. Will nodded but Nico waited for more information, his dark eyes fixated on Jason.

He bit his lip uncomfortably, he hadn't met the nurse before but McGonagall trusted her, he mused. "Nico, I've proven to you before that I trust you. Do you trust me?"

Nico chuckled darkly, "I don't think this is comparable to deadly poison, but if you insist," he shrugged. For a second Nico actually looked his age, just a tired teenager with hardly anything left to lose. They must have a hard couple of days behind them.

The two took their places. The seven waited around, still unsure as to why they were here. The nurse, Madam Pomfrey, watched them calculatingly. McGonagall too had her eyes on them, he figured they didn't hear students talk about deadly poison all that often.

Nico rolled up the leg of his pants and exposed a gruesome gash on his lower calf, deep enough to expose the bone. Jason glared at him, no wonder the guy had been limping. 

Pomfrey cleared her throat, she retrieved her wand out of her white medical apron, "this will take a few minutes but its not an overly complicated procedure," she announced. McGonagall and the seven respectfully took a step back.

Will sleepily stayed were he was, eyes trained on Nico. Then he saw Madam Pomfrey advance with her raised wand and he was up in a second. There was no drowsiness left in his posture, just a protective kind of fear as he placed himself between Nico and the nurse with one big step.

No one reacted right away, it had been such an unexpected movement that they were all a little taken aback, most of all Madam Pomfrey. She frowned at him with disapproval and confusion, warning them to let her do her work.

Will vehemently shook his head, "don't point that at him, the last of your kind we met-," he didn't finish the sentence but Jason had an unpleasant intuition telling him what had happened. 

Nico winced as he got up to stand next to Will but he did so anyway. Expectantly he stared up at Jason as if he was asking if Jason still wanted him to trust her. He nodded silently in reply. 

"That may be unfortunate but I can assure you that none of the witches and wizards in this castle mean you any harm to the best of my knowledge," tried McGonagall. 

Will seized her up but he just shook his head again, "Even if that's true, which we have no reason to believe yet, medicine is a delicate subject. We can't be sure what will happen if you try that on us, our blood is literally different from yours," he explained coldly.

He felt his eyes go wide. He'd gotten so used to magic that it hadn't even occurred to him it might be dangerous but Will was right. There was a possibility that if magic tempered with blood, it could harm their demigod abilities. 

McGonagall still frowned down on them with concern, "so what do you intend to do? Both of you clearly need healing," she mustered Will impassively. 

"For what it's worth, I am sorry that you have met the wrong sort of our kind first but please don't judge the entirety of our people by one encounter," she said worriedly and in a hushed voice.

Swallowing heavily, the tiredness returned to Will's eyes. Nico placed a hand on his shoulder, "it's fine, we'll just use me as a test object," he proposed, "then we know for sure."

Now it was Pomfrey who took a step back. Experimenting on children apparently went against her morals, which eased Jason's nerves considerably. The seven protested loudly. It was such a typical thing for Nico to suggest, the guy just had no regard for personal safety and it was frankly upsetting to be around.

Shushing them all, McGonagall decided, "we will do no such thing," sounding horrified. 

Will was quietly berating Nico as he pushed him back down on the bed, "could you be any more reckless?" He cursed. Then more loudly he mused, "I'll heal him." He left no room for debate in the eyes of the demigods.

The adults, however, protested. "How do you intend to do that?" Demanded Pomfrey.

Ignoring them, Will went to work. He pulled a golden vial out of his backpack and was entirely lost in his standard medical procedure, not hearing or seeing any of them. Typical for a medically gifted child of Apollo.

Quietly Annabeth informed the professors that Will was the leading healer at their Camp. They looked at her dubiously. "He saved my life once," Annabeth insisted, the others backed her up. "He knows all there is to know about our kind of healing and he is an especially gifted son of Apollo," she concluded.

"The god of medicine," clarified Frank as they were met with blank stares. 

Will was done cleaning the wound with borrowed materials from Pomfrey and he allowed Nico to drink from the vial. Instantly his demigod healing kicked in and the flesh began to mend. The gash was so deep that it took much longer than it was supposed to.

Helpfully Leo added, "also the god of music, poetry, the sun, and what else?"

"Archery," said Frank. 

Piper snorted, "Apollo is what we call an indecisive god. The point is; Will inherited his healing ability from him, it's a godly gift like my charmspeak."

Now the two women looked intrigued and Jason mused they hadn't been particularly impressed by the rather war focused talents most of the others had displayed. They watched Will at work silently to judge his talent for themselves.

Mumbling with concern, Will put away the vial, he didn't dare give Nico any more of it or he would burn up. Will grabbed Nico's hands and began reciting an incantation that vaguely sounded like a prayer to his father. 

"Technically," said Annabeth in that voice that meant he most likely wasn't going to care about what followed. "Apollo isn't the god of the sun, he is just responsible for making it rise in the morning. It's his job," she explained.

McGonagall looked like she would have liked Annabeth to elaborate on that bit but she got distracted by the use of godly powers in front of her.

A soft golden glow emerged from Will's hands and sprung over to Nico, the injury began to heal properly. Nico yanked his hand back but it was already done. With satisfaction, Will leaned back and eyed his work. 

"You didn't have to do that," Nico said softly, "you need to rest your powers, you got hurt too," he grumbled but watched in morbid awe as his muscles reformed.

Will got up and staggered a little. Nico was up and standing one his one uninjured leg in an instant. He steadied Will, "I told you," he muttered.

Balancing himself, Will pushed Nico away and told him to sit. Begrudgingly he conceded and Will began to search through different drawers and cupboards, ignoring Pomfrey's complaints. 

"It sounds cool when you hear that Apollo pulls up the sun with a red Maserati but trust me, you don't want to ride with him," grimaced Percy, "at least not when Jason's sister is driving."

Annabeth chuckled and Jason jokingly defended Thalia despite having heard the miserable story behind Percy's remark. Professor McGonagall had gone pale and looked like she couldn't decide who to ask what question and in which order. She pulled by a chair and sat down. Pomfrey was equally defeated.

Triumphantly Will returned to them with a few bandages and a salve. "This has the same ingredients as the healing drought we use at camp," he explained, "it just has a different name." He produced a needle and medical string out of the first aid kit he carried in his backpack and continued his work.

Pomfrey seemed horrified at his methods but she didn't try to stop him again. Nico didn't even flinch as Will stitched him up. Like all of them, he was more than used to the sensation.

Efficiently and silently Will finished the stitching, added the salve, and bandaged him. Within a few minutes, Nico could roll down the leg of his pants to cover a clean white bandage. 

"Thanks," he mumbled and stood to face them, if a little wobbly. 

Will tilted his head, "it's literally my job, Nico," he reminded him softly.

"Let me help you now?" Nico asked but it wasn't really a question. Will nodded anyways and turned his back to Nico pulling down his shirt over his shoulder.

Exasperatedly Jason thought that those two were perfect for each other. The cut on Will's shoulder wasn't as deep but it was ragged and parts of his skin had been pealed off. He felt the need to stop Nico and get a real healer to take care of that since it was clearly beyond what ordinary demigods had learned to take care of. 

He wasn't the only one who grimaced as Nico washed his hands and set to work. Will noticed their stares and offered them a small smile. 

"Most of you hadn't been at Camp for a while before Nico and I left. He's been helping me at the consistently understaffed camp infirmary," Will explained.

It had to be true because Nico easily and proficiently picked up the job. He cleaned the wound, dripped some nektar directly on it, and began stitching it up in a complicated pattern. Will sat entirely relaxed and motionless, clearly trusting Nico's ability.

"That's new," huffed Percy, sounding mildly impressed.

Will grinned, "you know what camp is like. Especially with the Ares cabin as full as it is right now. It's not enough for a few Apollo children to know the basics of healing, we had to specialize and advance." 

There was a bitter note to the last sentence and Jason supposed the demigods had turned even more reckless after the war, it wasn't unlikely.

"What we taught Nico focuses mainly on the worst kind of flesh wounds so this is right up his alley," Will went on and looked like he wanted to shrug but thought better of it at the last second. 

"He actually helped me reattach severed limbs a few times by now, which is odd in such a small amount of time even for demigods," he frowned. "But it means he's about as proficient as any good mortal doctor would be. He's got the experience."

As Nico finished his work, he said, "my cabin doesn't really have any jobs other than the burial rites which we don't need all that often," his tone didn't betray any remorse towards that. 

"I might as well make myself useful in the remaining time and the infirmary really is understaffed," he explained, his eyes fixed on Will's shoulder in concentration the entire time."I'm not as good as the Apollo kids but they can always use someone who is able to assist properly."

Percy gaped at them, "who at camp lost a limb?"

"Thanks to us, no one," said Nico nonchalantly at the same time as Will informed them of the new Brazilian camper's, Paolo Montes, constant misfortune. 

Leo grimaced, "the same guy, thrice?" 

Nico glared at him half-heartedly, "that's what happens when you let an eight-year-old design the death race," he sighed.

"Not that anyone blames Harley," Will added quickly, "Paolo didn't have to partake again after that happened the first time. I think it's because his English isn't all that great and he didn't understand some of the warnings even if he claims otherwise."

Unpromptedly Percy chimed in, "I kind of miss the death races," he trailed off.

"You will not hold a death race in this school," shrieked McGonagall and Pomfrey at once. "We will not be responsible for any severed limbs," added Pomfrey, "as if Quidditch wasn't bad enough already," she grumbled.

The demigods looked startled but none of them commented. He figured it made sense not to hold a death race with wizards who didn't have the same quick healing as them. 

Nico watched Will with a soft shine in his dark eyes, "honestly, camp would be so lost without him. I got to assist some of the more complicated operations and Will is an expert surgeon at this point," he said and it rang through his voice how impressed he truly was.

Stifling his grin, Jason suddenly had a notion as to what was actually going on with those two. It was understandable that Nico, who saw death at every turn, was impressed with someone who's main job is to save lives. 

At the same time it was convenient for him to help because he wasn't squeamish when it came to blood and when worst came to worst, he could tell Will who to prioritize. Who death was closest to. Jason shuddered.

He realized that Nico had to deal with being constantly aware of death. It was what drove people away from him. But not Will, who as a healer was just as aware of it as Nico and could help him to escape the constant guilt. 

They made sense together, even if on the first look no one would assume so. They looked like polar opposites but really they just had different ways of dealing with the same problem. At Nico's questioning expression, Jason realized he'd been staring.

Quickly looking away with a slight blush creeping up his neck, he tried to zone back into the conversation. Their relationship, if he wasn't completely wrong about it, wasn't any if his business. He just couldn't help but worry about Nico.

Now that they were both healed as well as they could be for the moment, professor McGonagall insisted to know about the journey they had behind them. She transfigured chairs for the seven and Will and Nico began to explain.

Occasionally they'd glance at each other and Jason had the feeling they were leaving something out. 

"We were just investigating the forest because of the signal Nico saw, when we must have triggered some kind of alarm," Will explained, "suddenly they surrounded us. There were eight of them," he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Begrudgingly Nico added, "I got hit by one of them immediately, I had shadowtraveled us there and my power was pretty much already down."

"You only got hit because you jumped in front of me," said Will, "don't think I didn't notice that," his voice was dry with past devastation. 

Jason knew how Will felt. Caring about someone reckless was never easy, he glanced at Piper. 

Nico didn't say anything, the others called him either brave or foolish or both in Leo's case.

McGonagall tilted her head, "as Mr. di Angelo got hit by this curse, what was the immediate reaction? You wouldn't happen to remember hearing the attacker say something? It might be important to identify the curse," her eyebrows were knitted closely together and she frowned with disapproval. 

Who she was disapproving of, Jason wasn't sure. Again, Nico and Will glanced at each other. Then both their eyes darted to Nico's backpack on the floor.

Following their gaze, Jason caught sight of the slim edge of a book. Nico kicked the bag closed and Jason's eyes narrowed, he turned to the others, Percy and Annabeth had noticed it too. Silently Nico gestured, 'later.' They nodded.

"I think I remember a word, though it doesn't mean anything to me," Nico said slowly, "but it sounded like 'cruci,' or something like that," he dismissed it with a hand gesture.

McGonagall and Pomfrey surged forward, "crucio?" Asked the professor, "is that the word you heard? How did the curse feel?" She urged with pure terror in her voice 

"Yes, that's the one," said Nico certainly. The terror in the faces of the adults went past him. "Like pure pain I suppose," he shrugged, "it also kind of lifted me off the ground I think, I don't remember it all that well," he glanced at Will questioningly who confirmed it.

Clutching her wand tightly McGonagall explained between tightly pressed together lips, "that is one of the three worst curses in wizard history. It is highly illegal and only comparable to the killing curse and the mind control curse, we call them the unforgivables."

"Anyway," said Nico entirely unbothered, "Will saved me. He stalled for time and got us both out of there. My father presented an escape route since he sent us on that quest unknowing what was attached to it. I suppose he felt responsible," he shrugged again like it didn't even surprise him to have been hit with the worst if the worst the second he got in contact with this new world.

Interrupting him, the old witch said, "I don't think you understand! You will have to file a report to the ministry and describe your attackers, they need to be locked away!"

Nico laughed dryly, "I don't think I can go to your authorities since they are not supposed to know that I exist. I will carry out my father's quest, that is all the revenge I need."

McGonagall pleaded with him to at least describe their attackers but again Jason got the feeling he wasn't telling the whole story as he refused. They described getting caught up because of another trace to death and a few monsters and ended their story.

"Won't your parents want to know that these people are being presented to the proper authorities?" McGonagall tried again.

"What parents?" Said Will and Nico as one. The seven chuckled, it was kind of a dark inside joke among demigods to say that, even for the ones who had a single responsible parent.

Percy carefully explained that they were all used to having hard lives and that this was hardly out of the ordinary. "Holding grudges against any monster we escape instead of killing it, wouldn't get us anywhere," he told her, and McGonagall gave up.

Sounding distressed, Pomfrey chimed in, "but you are just kids! You have to have some kind of responsible adult in your life!"

"Just kids," growled Nico. "I'm the ambassador of Pluto, I was the first to know of both camps, I've fought in both wars," there was an insane gleam to his eyes and he struggled to find the right words.

Humorlessly Jason added, "they call him ghostking for a reason."

That shut the two women up pretty effectively, but he hated the pity in their eyes beyond belief. He sighed. It was always the same.

Piper tilted her head, "I don't know about Will but out of the rest of us, I think Percy is the only one with a single reliable parent. Am I wrong?" She looked at Will.

"No," he said with a sad smile and there was a story behind it but now wasn't the time to ask. "I live at camp year around," he added as if that explained it.

"My family is dead," said Frank seemingly in thought.

"Mine too," said Leo.

"My Dad has no idea who I really am," said Piper.

"Also dead," added Jason, "safe for Thalia who has her own problems."

Hazel pouted, "I have Nico," she said and got a rare genuine smile from her brother. "But we don't have any parents either."

"Hades is trying, you know?" mumbled Nico apologetically.

Annabeth frowned as if the memory of her family was utterly unpleasant, "my Dad knows, he just doesn't really care. We don't talk much." Percy took her hand in a silent gesture of support.

"As Piper said, my mom is pretty cool. She knows I do what I have to," he shrugged. "She doesn't stop me."

"I don't like these gods," concluded Madame Pomfrey coldly.

________________________________________

Nico,

For the first time since he found out who he was, Nico thought that maybe it had been a mistake to run away from camp. He was so busy holding grudges and so desperate to find Biana that it hadn't occurred to him that maybe other demigods were off as bad as he was. It was too late to contemplate that now but maybe he could trust the others to understand him after all.

He really had to talk to Will and reevaluate the whole situation with them. More than that though, he had to figure out what exactly the others knew about these wizards.

Hazel gave them a quick summary, but he felt like she was leaving something out. Which was fair considering he and Will had left out 90% of their story.

According to Hazel, this all panned down to a chosen one he didn't know. The longer she spoke, the surer he was that the evil wizards they met were a part of the dark side they were fighting. Those wouldn't be easy to beat with a demigod skillset, Nico mused.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Hazel described how they met Hecate, "and I presume she anticipated that you'd join us," she said and reached for her bag, "she gave us these," she said and pulled out two long black boxes and placed them on the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all I hope you're doing good and thanks for reading!
> 
> Also thanks for all the comments on the last chapter, please comment again if you like!
> 
> And btw my kudos on the other story went over a hundred the same day that I mentioned it to you guys, so thanks so much for that as well!
> 
> I don't know how much I'll be able to update over the next few weeks, I'll probably have to limit myself to a chapter per week since even posting todays short update was quite the hassle.
> 
> I hope you continue reading! Thanks so much again!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24, Nico

Without thinking he reached for one of the boxes and flicked it open. Cushioned on black silk, lay a sleek black stick. It was clearly made of stygian iron, embellished with silver. A tiny skull was attached to its hilt and Nico stared at it with awe. He knew what it was but it was taking him a moment to process.

Glancing over at Will, he saw that in the second box was a wand that had nothing in common with his own aside from its essence. It was a combination of sand-colored wood and celestial bronze with engraved swirls all over it. 

On the hilt, Nico could faintly make out Apollos rune for healing. It suited Will exceptionally well, his eyes darted back to his own wand and he wondered if the others thought it matched him just as nicely.

Hazel urged them to try them out. Nico reached out, eager to examine the strange object. His fingers closing around the hilt was something like enlightenment. A surge of power went through him, only comparable to walking through the underworld and drawing energy directly from it. 

A beat after him, Will snatched his own wand up. Nico expected to see him just as delighted and intrigued, instead, Will gasped. His eyes went wide with pain and he doubled over. Dropping his wand as quickly as he snatched it up, Nico surged forth. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was wrong.

Will was gripping the wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his face was distorted with pain. He put his arms around Will's shoulders from behind, yelling at him to drop the wand in panic.

When that didn't help, he yelled at the others to do something. Hazel had gone deadly pale, "I don't know what's going on. That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Before he could figure out what to do, the moment was over. Will drew in a sharp breath, he leaned back against Nico and pressed one hand to his forehead. Nico caught him with ease but the distress wouldn't leave him.

"Will?" He asked gently, "Will, what happened? Can I do anything?" Even to his own ears, he sounded anxious.

He didn't get an answer but a tiny piece of paper flickered into existence in a purple flash. Everyone's eyes were fixed on it as it sailed down from where it had appeared above Will's head. Nico caught it and unfolded it hastily. His thoughts turned and twisted with all the grace of a tornado. The note read;

To William Solace,  
You should have received my gift of magic a long time ago, but upon your father's wishes, I held it back. Now fate has given you what was rightfully yours to begin with. The adjustment might take some time and effort, nor will it be pleasant, but it will be worth it. If you use it wisely. Watch your power, it is stronger than you think.  
-Hecate

Reading the note to the others, he had nothing but animosity left for Hecate. It must have shown on his face because everyone just silently frowned at him as if they were afraid to truly invoke his anger.

Will was steadying his breathing. He shook his head lightly and examined the wand once again. 

After a brief pause, McGonagall instructed them to try a few spells. There was something gratifying about the use of magic, Nico mused even as he resented their interactions with it so far. With grim satisfaction, he acknowledged that the next time he met one of those wizards they'd escaped they would have even power. They would not run again.

The seven gave them a quick summary of what had happened since they arrived at the castle. To Nico's dismay, the story included a teenage chosen one and a war. He groaned in frustration which effectively alienated the present adults and amused the other demigods.

Taking a look at the time, McGonagall swiftly sent the seven to class. Apparently, they had missed their entire first block but could make it to the second. They protested but the old teacher didn't leave them much of a choice. 

Once the seven were gone and they'd allowed Pomfrey to at least check on them with a few none invasive healing spells, Nico took a deep breath. Will next to him had recovered pretty quickly and now chuckled quietly. Nico raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's just, the great Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, the seven who led the quest against Gaea," he said with an amused sparkle in his eyes, "were just sent to class like a bunch of rowdy kids. In your stories Percy always sounds larger than life, seeing that just now messes with my picture of him a little."

Nico sniggered with him, "Percy is also an idiot," he added, "don't forget that part of my stories."

"Language, Mr. di Angelo," remarked professor McGonagall. Pomfrey had left the room shortly after the seven and the vice headmistress had allowed them their moment to recover but now she clearly had more questions.

They averted their eyes towards her and waited. Nico didn't apologize. 

She informed them of the school's basic rules, stressing that all kinds of fighting even for training purposes were not allowed. Nico discarded most of the rules the second he heard them, but he nodded along to avoid further discussion.

Once she was done with the rules, she hesitated. "You know, your friends have left quite the impression when they first introduced themselves to our kind. However, since we have no one to compare them to, I for one am still trying to evaluate their power. I was curious as to how they look to others from their own realm, are they normal teens by your standards? What are they to you?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, letting the questions hang in the room.

Nico contemplated it. He could very well imagine the seven struggling and failing to introduce themselves properly, out of a lack of interest or concentration. Maybe because they didn't know who to compare themselves to either. Confusion on either side so early on wasn't a good sign if they had to work together. He silently questioned Will who seemed to have followed his train of thought and they reached an agreement.

Nico sighed, this day was more of a headache then he had anticipated. "I assume you'd like us to put things into perspective." It wasn't a question, McGonagall nodded curtly and gestured for him to continue.

"I think I might be able to show you. That would be faster and a lot more precise than just retelling the whole story," he mused. 

Already lost in thoughts about how he'd make that work, he continued. "There are three main components of what makes a demigod powerful in our eyes; Their given powers, their years of training, and the quests they've been on. Of course, that isn't everything but that gives you a kind of measuring tape for what's to follow."

________________________________________

Draco

Pacing up and down the mostly empty common room he considered his options. There weren't many of them.

Ever since he'd spotted two familiar figures at breakfast this morning his thoughts had been dwindling downwards. They weren't supposed to be here. They couldn't be here.

Why now? Where had they come from? What did they know? It was to go insane over. The school year had already begun, promising false security that had now been swiftly crushed. 

He smoothed his hair back in an attempt to look more composed than he felt. It was to no avail, Pansy had been shooting him worried and suspicious looks all morning. He had half a mind to yell at her, she'd been behaving oddly ever since they met those new kids on the train and yet she was suspicious of him.

Currently, she was watching him icily from her self proclaimed throne in front of the fireplace. Her eyes betrayed no emotion but that alone was what told him something was off. That mask had a purpose. 

"Are you going to continue pacing or will you talk to me?" She tilted her head. "Because this is getting boring and I'm about to leave."

Taking his place opposite her, he scoffed. Threatening to leave wasn't even a creative way to get him to talk, nor was it believable. She'd never miss out on gossip. Which was why he knew that sooner or later she'd find out either way, he'd rather skip the games and see if she could be helpful. Besides, stalling for time just gave her more power and a false sense of importance.

Their eyes met. It was a silent understanding that they'd never gamble with each other's secrets. They both held power in this house, they both knew too much. Tearing each other down would end dramatically for them both.

It was the closest thing to trust that he knew of. 

________________________________________

Will

For a second he was afraid they'd shown the vice headmistress just a smidge too much. She was clearly fighting herself for composure as Nico drew his hand back from her shoulder. 

He was still surprised that it had worked in the first place but Nico had successfully projected his memories onto the professor. He'd explained that he'd once done so on accident with Reyna and had since been working to control the strange talent.

Musing that it was rather straight forward compared to storytelling, he hoped the woman wouldn't faint. There was a vast difference between knowing something and having been there. 

Nico had revealed everything about the first war. Luke, Kronos, and every painstaking small quest that led there which he knew of. Everything from how 50 demigods defended Manhatten to the one time he, Percy and Thalia wiped a titans memory. It was too much for Minerva McGonagall.

Even though he had a feeling she'd seen a lot in her time, this was uncomparable. Grimacing in sympathy he quietly spoke up, opting to distract her. "It should be pretty obvious now, why these seven were sent," he concluded.

Her glasses had slid down her nose a little and her eyes were wide, "yes, indeed," she breathed warily. What she'd just witnessed evidently didn't go with the image she had of the demigods and trying to merge them together must be giving her a terrible headache.

"That thing, that titan, you were all so young when that transpired," she added, her gaze flicking between them. Nico next to him was breathing heavily, his eyes were drooping. How ever this memory sharing worked, it demanded a great amount of power.

Patiently Will smiled at her, "now you know." Quietly he hoped she'd leave them be now, they both had hours of sleep to catch up on.

"You led an army of undead soldiers," she stared at Nico, the reality only now beginning to sink in. Nico shrugged.

"All of these kids on that battlefield. They all followed Percy, he was their age, why on earth did they think he was suitable to lead them?" She asked, horror rising in her voice.

Grinning tiredly Nico answered, "I've been trying to figure out the same thing for years. That was the first of two wars, the second one is much more recent and I'd rather not get into it. Can you trust me when I tell you that the rest of the seven are just as powerful as Percy and Annabeth?"

She nodded, seemingly having gone mute and pinched the bridge of her nose. With rustling robes, she got up, "you have given me a lot to think about. Thank you for showing me." At least she acknowledged that strain that had put on Nico, physically as well as emotionally.

Before she turned to leave she added, "Your parents, the gods, really aren't all that intent on protecting their children. That alone is admittedly hard to comprehend," almost as if she were talking to herself. More loudly she said, "you should rest," and the door fell shut behind her.

________________________________________

Harry

By the time dinner rolled around he had at least somewhat of an idea of what was going on. Still, he was anxious to meet the others in their hidden room.

The entire time he impatiently tapped his wand against the table until he accidentally turned Ron's mashed potatoes green. He grimaced and abruptly stopped the fiddling. 

Slowly the corridors were beginning to clear until eventually, they deemed it safe to get going. Ron and Hermione rushed after him, this time around they didn't bother waiting around to defuse that they were all walking in the same direction. Percy and Piper had barely rounded the corner before them when they got to the secret passageway. 

Once inside they were greeted with the usual dim light and two new faces. They couldn't be much younger than the seven and Harry vaguely remembered them from yesterday's iris call. Nico di Angelo and Will Solace had joined their quest against Voldemort.

Harry wasn't sure if the feeling settling in his stomach was hope or dread. Even more people who shouldn't be worrying about this, coming to his aid. Suppressing a bitter sigh, he greeted them politely and thought he saw a spark of recognition go through them when he said his name. 

They went over introductions quickly as the rest of the wizards trickled in one by one. The two newcomers described what they had seen over the last couple of days and guiltily Harry noted that he felt the slightest bit better when he heard that for them it was technically a quest in the name of Hades. So they weren't here for him, that made working with them easier.

Ron and Hermione watched them cautiously but Harry wasn't concerned. Somehow knowing that they had their own motives made it easier for him to trust them.

Hazel was the last of the demigods to enter the room. She rushed past them to briefly hug her brother, the others smiled but nobody commented on it. While she was checking on them in a hushed whisper, Percy explained, "Nico got cruciod," like it was no big deal.

Wincing in sympathy Harry turned to them to ask how and when that happened but he didn't need to ask. Nico's deadly black eyes met his and he merely raised an eyebrow at Harry's expression. 

"Happened to you as well at one point, I'm guessing?" Nico asked nonchalantly. "Seems to happen a lot considering it's supposed to be illegal," he added.

The other wizards stared at Nico in shocked awe, while the demigods who had never witnessed a crucio curse took it rather lightly. Harry shrugged, "one of the downsides of being the 'chosen one'," he said, matching the other boys' bitter humor. "Oh wait, I forgot, there are only downsides to being the chosen one," he deadpanned.

Nico snorted and Harry was happy to believe that he landed a few points with their new allies. Hermione next to him had yet to say anything. She worried her lower lip between her teeth and regarded Nico with the same fascinated but fearful respect that she had worn the first time she saw a hippogriff. Harry wanted to roll his eyes at her, instead, he finally asked what happened.

It was quite the story, and by the humored faces of the other demigods, he assumed that they had heard a drastically shortened version of the events before. Will added that they believed it unwise to blurt out the whole story in front of professor McGonagall which Harry silently agreed with.

The others were about to drown them with questions when Will warned, "that's not everything," and continued.

As he described the scene of the destroyed house they found, Harry briefly wondered if it was anything like his parent's house had looked after they got murdered, only that in this case the children were dead. He shrugged the thought off.

"At first we didn't think the two instances were related," explained Will, all eyes were on him.

Hermione snapped at him irritably, "how could you not think they were connected?" She was struggling with how against the rules everything those two had done seemed to be. She shook her head.

Glaring at her, Nico chimed in, "I get led towards death all the time. It could have been anything," he added, his patience wearing thin. Hermione didn't apologize. 

"But when we couldn't find an obvious cause of death we were reminded of, well, off magic," admitted Will. 

A surge of discomfort went through Harry, that was about as bad as the first two encounters with magic could go for a person. He was glad the other demigods already trusted them or this could have led to a terrible dispute. A war between demigods and wizards, he shuddered at the idea. No thanks.

Nico took over again, "we checked the book we took from that creepy old mansion and found the address of the demolished house in it, along with a few names. It looks like the entire book is filled to the brim with ideas for future raids like that one, but most of it is incomplete and makes no sense to us."

"Can I see it?" Demanded Hermione. Reluctantly Will handed over a small leatherbound notebook. Hermione accepted it with disgust and flipped it open.

The yellow pages contained all kinds of smeared ink drawings, lists with names he vaguely recognized, and other notes that mostly made no sense to him.

Trying his best to drink in all the information, Harry considered that maybe this was a good thing. Of course, it was terrible that the deatheaters were so well organized that they wrote down death like other people did dinner invitations. On the other hand, it might give them some pointers on where to look. They had to decipher this book, he decided suddenly thrilled.

Will pointed out the page with the address they had been to, and Harry's blood froze over. Two familiar names sprang in his face.

Malfoy and Dolohov.

Ron growled with disgust, "that bloody swine is deeper in than everyone seems to think." His sibling agreed with equal venom to their voices. 

Percy tilted his head at the page, "that means Malfoy senior, right?" 

Frowning at him, Harry answered, "most likely, but I suppose we can't be sure."

"You know who that is?" Asked Nico and Will as one, both sounding eager and ready to start a manhunt. 

Ginny regarded them bitterly, "his twat of a son also goes to school here. This does feel rather personal, considering Mr. Malfoy more or less tried to feed me to a basilisk in my first year."

Hermione was still flipping through the pages, searching for patterns she recognized. "I suppose we need to turn that over to Dumbledore," she mumbled happily.

Almost at once, everyone else protested furiously. "We can't keep information like that to ourselves," snapped Hermione, "this might be enough to get Malfoy thrown in Azkaban. Don't you want to see him locked up?"

She had a point there, still, Harry protested. "'Mione if we take it to Dumbledore, he will take it to the ministry. All the teachers will see it, including Umbridge and Snape. We can be almost certain that the ministry is slowly being infiltrated. If we give this up, we might give up our only chance to be a step ahead of them," he ground out.

She faltered for a second and was about to pick up her arguing again when Percy interrupted her. "Harry is right. Check whatever means of magical law you have to see if it would be enough to get him thrown in jail first. There is no point in giving this up if it wasn't enough evidence. Once we know that, we can discuss it again." 

Staring at the book coldly, Percy continued, "even if we give it up to get that one guy thrown in jail, we need to copy the information in it first. We need to be sure to give it to the right person and don't get me wrong but I don't think that's the headmaster."

Piper agreed, "we can pass the information in here on to the order bit by bit without giving up the book, pretending like we keep finding single clues or something. If we give this up, it will be out of our control what happens with it and I don't think we can risk that."

The others nodded solemnly. Harry sighed, for once it wasn't just him arguing with her. Surely she wouldn't go against all of them. Percy's reasoning was good too.

After pondering it for another moment, Hermione agreed with an unhappy sigh. "I'll research if it would be enough to send him to Azkaban. Until then, we study its contents," she conceded.

Harry took a deep breath, his fury about the senseless murder mixed with a sense of purpose. "Tell me everything from the top again, specifically where you found the book and who you saw. We can't miss anything here."

To his surprise, the two demigods did as he said and went into an in-depth description of the house and the wizards they met there. He watched as Annabeth began to sketch a rough map of the house.

"The thing is, we wouldn't even have gotten through that house if one of them hadn't helped us," explained Will. "No matter how evil they are, those people are human. That makes it strange to fight," he added sullenly.

The other demigods nodded and it hit him that despite all of their experience, the demigods were used to fighting monsters you could kill without feeling bad, and not mislead people with a human conscience. That was another problem they'd have to tackle eventually. 

Harry furrowed his brows, "wait a second, one of them helped you?"

Nico and Will exchanged a small look. "We weren't supposed to say anything but considering that the people he lives with are murderers we should probably add getting the guy out of there to our quest," mused Nico.

Will nodded, "he was definitely afraid, I think his parents are dragging him down a road he didn't choose. He just kept saying things along the lines of wanting to get through this without really hurting anyone. I think he was anxious that that would be expected of him sooner or later."

"Did he give you a name?" Asked Ginny nervously. 

Nico shook his head and Harry felt the disappointment cloud his thoughts. They couldn't help if they didn't know who it was. More importantly, they couldn't ask this possibly side changing individual for information. 

"He had the weirdest white-blond hair though. Just like the adult who cursed me later on," Nico added thoughtfully.

'No,' thought Harry. All comprehension dwindling from his grip.

"Hang on," said Will, "I think this Woman called for him, that was how he decided to help us. He thought she'd kill us if he didn't. I think she called him 'Draco' or something like that?" He looked up expectantly.

The wizards rioted. Harry couldn't blame them, he felt dreadfully sick too. The only possible way to get real intel was apparently Draco Malfoy. These two new demigods wanted to save Draco Malfoy. His head spun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thanks for reading!   
> I'm terribly sorry about the long wait, I hope you are all doing well! This story is definitely not abandoned!
> 
> Please leave a comment!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25, Ginny

Approximately one hour later they had sorted out that Lucius Malfoy was the one who cast crucio on Nico, that the recently escaped Bellatrix Lestrange had been one of the other attackers, and that Malfoy Manor seemed to be the new center of the dark side. 

Nico and Will hadn't responded well to learning Dracos' last name. They had expected the killers of that muggle family to be dark wizards, they hadn't expected it to be someone they had already met. If what they said was true, then Draco Malfoy was in more danger than he himself might realize. 

Ginny shuddered. She hated Draco, but having a murderer for a father still wasn't something she wished upon him. Her own father was such a kind and caring man, it was impossible to imagine what growing up with Lucius Malfoy as a father must have been like. How does a person cope with finding out someone they look up to is a monster? Could you even cope with that?

She leaned back and the comfortable couch almost swallowed her whole. Contemplating how much her life had changed since the demigods showed up, she watched them interact.

Percy and Harry were talking about strategy and possible ways to use the information they had. They had selected the seats closest to the fireplace, right across from each other. Between them lay the book in question, flipped open somewhere in the middle. 

The two boys had their heads bent over it, almost touching. The fireplace behind them caused astonishing shadows to dance over the table. They looked surreal, untouchable, two sides of the same coin. In this light they looked uncannily alike, all black tousled hair and green eyes. 

She wasn't the only one who noticed. On the floor in front of her couch sat Piper, Frank, Will, and Nico. The latter kept stealing small glances at Harry, if it was because he was the chosen one or because he looked like Percy, she couldn't tell. 

Either way, Will didn't seem impressed with his friend's fascination. Ginny considered it and frowned, so far none of the demigods had cared that Harry was the boy who lived. She didn't see why Nico should be any different. 

Piper and Frank were catching them up on all the small details of the wizarding world they'd need to know in order not to stand out, as well as their meeting with Hecate. Nico and Will nodded along tiredly, adding in what they had learned when they got the chance.

Tearing her gaze away from the newest members of their little team, her eyes fell on Annabeth, Hermione, Jason, and Ron. They were working with a magical copy of the book, discussing possible ways to decode it. 

As yet another secluded group she sat with Fred, George, Hazel, and Leo. They had their own copy of the magical notebook and were attempting to make some sense of the drawings and runes scattered over the pages. 

They were easily able to identify Voldemort's dark mark after seeing it live at the Quidditch World Cup last year but the other drawings so far remained a mystery. 

Flicking back to one of the first pages, her eyes stuck to a vaguely familiar-looking address. Somewhere around her, the others began discussing what houses Nico and Will would be in.

Scoffing at the concept of houses, Nico's first instinct had been to refuse. "I'll just go wherever they send Will," he announced. 

Which prompted the twins to call out, "Hufflepuff!" 

Nico sneered but Jason's head perked, "you think so? That would be awesome, man!" He declared eagerly. The other laughed a little, it was nice to focus on something else for a second.

"I don't know mate," said Ron, "he seems kind of Gryffindor to me," he chimed in. 

Harry reminded him jokingly that he had said that about literally every single one of the seven so far. Ron ignored him.

After contemplating it for another second, Ginny spoke up. "Harry, what is your address in the muggle world again? I've seen it a few times on letters Ron wrote to you but," she trailed off, her eyes fixed on the parchment in front of her. The laughter around her died down.

"Why does it matter?" Harry inquired before he seemed to think better of it and told her, "it's privet drive number 4, little whinging, Surrey." He looked at her expectantly, so did everyone else. Ginny's heart sank and she almost wished she hadn't made this grim discovery. 

Running a hand through her hair nervously she held up the book without a word. Fred snatched it from her.

"Oh, crap," he mumbled. More audibly he went on, "that would be one of the addresses in this book. It doesn't say 'privet drive 4' but it marks little whinging, Surrey, and there are a whole lot of names signed at the page," he confessed darkly. 

Hermione was on her feet in an instant, she took the book from Fred and studied the open page. The others began flipping through the first few pages of the two magical copies they had until everybody had confirmed for themselves that it was indeed the address written on the page. Hermione asked Harry at least five times if he was certain it was spelled the exact right way, until Harry glared at her and she shut up.

"Bloody brilliant," cursed Harry, crossing his arms forcefully. "They are attacking an entire street of muggles just because I live there." He visibly pulled his guard up but cold fury flared behind his eyes.

Ron huffed, "I suppose it makes sense. Each year they try to lure you out of the castle. By hitting you literally close to home they might be hoping to achieve that." Hermione agreed quietly.

"I don't even like living there," scowled Harry. His brows were deeply furrowed and his expression worried Ginny, there was something deeply wrong about it. He was too young to look that angry, she decided.

Beginning to pace the room, Percy picked up one of the copies. "That's good for us though," he declared with startling confidence. Ginny briefly considered if his past monster-fighting stunts might have caused some brain damage.

"We know where they will attack, so we can set up our defenses. We also know now that they haven't figured out a way into the castle yet," his voice left no room for argument. Undoubtedly, a battle plan was beginning to form in his head. 

"Dumbledore said he suspects that getting into the castle is their longterm goal, but if they are still trying to coax Harry out than we don't have to worry about that yet," he announced dismissively. 

Turning on his heel he stalked back towards his armchair. "Harry, this most likely won't be his only trap for you. Should there at any point throughout the year be a reason for you to leave the school, you need to tell us immediately."

He fixated Harry thoroughly, "you need to expect a trap. Imagine the worst kind of bait. It will happen."

Harry glared right back, "so you expect me to stay behind?" He asked defiantly.

"No," Percy shook his head and continued his pacing. "I expect you to be prepared and take us for backup. We might be able to turn this trap around. Chances are that he will present a real reason for you to have to face him. The point is he will know something is up if you don't show. We need him to underestimate us for as long as possible," he prompted.

The entire room hung at his every word. Recognition flashed over Harry's face but the somber atmosphere only lasted for a moment.

Nico sneered, "that is all good and well, but there still is a very real chance the guy tempered with his mortality somehow. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have sent me," he said crossly. 

"So until we know what he did, trying to kill him would probably result in killing you instead." Nico seized Harry up with a bored expression as if he were talking about the weather.

"Also," Nico went on, now looking at Percy, "there is no way to know if they haven't changed their entire game plan. They must have noticed that the book is gone by now. Heck, they might even have prepared traps for us at the places they knew the book named," Nico shook his head. 

"We'll be careful," proclaimed Annabeth, chin raised. A storm was brewing behind her piercing grey eyes and Ginny suspected it was taking the form of a plan. 

Leo scratched his head thoughtfully, "it's worth a shot, they don't really know who took the book. The question is, how do we make sure they don't guess that we have it the second their attack fails?" He mused loudly, touseled curls falling over his eyes. 

Sitting up straighter, Hermione chimed in, "if we put magical barriers and protections up on little whinging, we could just put the same protections up on other places they might attack. As soon as they try one that isn't in the book and find it equally protected it will look like random caution," she proposed the same way one might propose a project idea for class. Ron next to her nodded excitedly.

"I don't think that's going to be enough," Franks' deep but soft voice considered from where he was lying on the sofa with his head in Hazel's lap. "Too high a possibility that they will still catch on. If every house had individual protection though, making it look like it wasn't the same person, that might throw them off," he schemed. 

Nodding hastily, Leo agreed, "and if we could scout out the least prominent one of the places they want to attack, we could prepare it." At their confused expressions he went on, "not as a trap, but as bait. Let them think they succeeded and they just happened not to find anybody there. Nobody gets hurt and we can examine their methods by the trail of damage they will leave."

Percy clapped a hand on Leo's shoulder, "that is what I'm talking about," he said brightly. "And if it's an address from the book then they will be convinced we don't have it because if we did have it, we'd obviously protect every single building on the list."

Loud agreeing and detailed planning rose up from all corners, until Ron bellowed over the noise, "how do you expect to get someone to give up their house?" He looked at them like they were lunatics and Ginny giggled. Somehow she didn't doubt they'd find a way.

Percy shrugged, "we'll get to that eventually. For now we need to start planning out protections that can be set in motion as soon as possible. We also might want to get the order to help us so we need something to convince them without giving up the book," Percy frowned.

"Leave that to me," said Annabeth and Hermione at the same time. Percy and Harry looked equally startled but accepted it quickly. Ginny mused that the two girls did have a way to get adults on their side if nothing else.

"We can't give away how urgent this is or they will suspect that something is up but we still need them to act right away," mused Hermione half in thought. She turned to Annabeth and they began hushedly comparing their ideas.

Harry buried his head in his hands. "I suppose I should warn my relatives," he sighed. 

"If we could only pass on the information we want them to have to the dark side directly," Harry considered aloud. 

"I can't exactly walk up to them and tell them, 'our side noticed you are randomly attacking places again so everyone has been advised to guard their property,' " he only sounded half sarcastic. "If we could get some kind of simple confirmation across to them as soon as all protections are in place, that would be ideal," Harry frowned again.

Jason tilted his head, "they'd immediately rush to attack as quickly as possible in hopes to catch us off guard one last time but it would already be too late. And it would further draw attention away from the book. That's clever," he decided.

"And nearly impossible," chimed Piper.

The twins exchanged a short glance, George half raised his hand, "we might have an idea." Ginny regarded them with raised eyebrows. A bad feeling gathered in her stomach like smoke, not tangible but not quite invisible either. 

Fred simply said, "Percy." 

To which Percy retorted with a confused; "what?" But Ginny understood, her eyes went wide.

"Not you," said George with a winning grin. "Our brother, Percy," he clarified. 

Now it was Ron's turn to be confused, "you can't mean that?" He questioned with exaggerated horror in his voice. 

The twins answered him with identical shrugs. "He works at the ministry," said Fred. "And he likes to brag," added George.

Bitterly, Ginny concluded, "and the ministry is infiltrated." 

Biting his lip, Ron contemplated it. "You think Percy is a leak?" He said it calmly and matter of fact but he still sounded hurt. Despite Percy being his least favorite brother, he was still his brother.

In an attempt to amend the situation, Ginny admitted, "he's not doing it on purpose but I think it's why he is no longer invited to order meetings. He trusts the ministry way too much and any deatheaters in there would be stupid not to carefully listen in hopes of him spilling something on accident."

Silence fell over the room as everyone contemplated her words. After a while, Hazel carefully piped up, "it doesn't mean he is in danger, does it?" She asked anxiously.

Her compassion was admirable, considering she had never even met Percy. "I don't think so," said Ginny between tight lips. "They wouldn't take out someone who might pass on valuable information. If he became either a threat or unnecessary, then yes," her voice broke. Talking about her own brother like that stung deeply. 

Ron grimaced, "you don't think he'd become a target simply because he is a Weasley, do you? We are pretty well known." 

Avoiding eye contact Ginny left it to the others to answer, Ron had caught on to exactly what she was thinking. 

The seven had remained quiet so far, offering them respect when discussing family matters. It was a kind, if unnecessary, gesture. Her brother was acting like an idiot, and Ginny would gladly be the one to tell him so. 

Fred and George were explaining some of the inner workings of the ministry to Jason. Putting emphasis on Percy's department, they explained how they thought the information would travel. They couldn't guarantee when it would get through to the dark side. 

Nonetheless, everyone agreed pretty quickly that it would be the very last move in what was proving to be an elaborate network of plans.

"We need to act soon," said Jason sternly. "We don't know how fast they are moving but if this book is in chronological order, which we have to assume it is, then little Whinging will be the next place under attack."

Hermione swallowed heavily, "it's the second real entry in the book. The first one was that muggle house Nico and Will found. It reads like the first one was a trial run and this attack is going to be a big one, to set a sample and start the new hunting season," she supposed in a small voice. 

Contemplating her words, Percy and Harry exchanged a sinister glance. Ginny had missed when exactly those two learned to commune silently but it seemed suitable, it was only right that they knew and trusted each other. Stifling a sigh, she wished Hermione was right less often.

Glancing down at the parchment in front of Hermione and the list of spells she had already collected, Percy announced, "tomorrow night."

Everyone was wide awake in an instant. A surge of adrenalin rushed through her but before she could begin doubting the idea, Percy was compiling a plan.

"We need to get to that address, quickly. We need to stay unseen. We need to know what we are doing. Get in and out as quickly as we can. Set the rest of the plan in motion as soon as we are back, it can't look like we knew which place to prioritize. It's time to take action," he promptly determined.

Annabeth took over, "we might be able to convince the order to start putting safety spells on houses by telling them its what demigods do when faced with a war. That would be a lie but they are expecting advice from us so we might get through with it," she paused. 

"Hermione can convince them to prioritize but we will have to take care of at least half the places on the list ourselves. Otherwise, we can't ensure they have different protections and the order would ask too many questions," she finished.

Harry nodded along grimly. "Hermione, is there a spell that would let us know if someone with the dark mark set foot on a specific street? If we could get a warning like that, I might be able to pass it off as a vision. Dumbledore would believe me, he'd most likely send the aurors."

"I know that's a little bit far fetched but it would make our side look like we are more prepared than we are," he qualified bitterly. 

The tension in his jaw looked painful as he went on, "It can't hurt to scare them off and maybe catch a few deatheaters as long as it can't be traced back to me. Voldemort will keep underestimating me as long as he thinks Dumbledore is in control, who he is already scared of. So I will act through Dumbledore; double win."

Ron blinked heavily as if he had trouble following along. Ginny frowned too, she thought she understood what Harry was getting at but he was beginning to move in dangerous territory.

The demigods seemed to have a different take away from Harry's idea. Will leaned forth, "just to make sure I haven't missed anything here; you've had visions before?" He asked.

Grimacing Harry repeated the story of his reoccurring dreams to them. To her surprise the demigods nodded along in sympathy.

"Lucid dreams are a common occurrence for us," explained Hazel. "Especially if Hecate favors you, it's not unlikely that those really are visions, pay close attention to them," she warned. 

Rubbing his temples Harry let out a wary chuckle, "good to know that I'm not going insane. Or at least that that isn't a sign that I'm going insane," he muttered.

Frank shook his head, "I don't like how well all of this is adding up, " he confessed. "We just talked about the fact that there will be some kind of bait for Harry, and now we hear he had been dreaming of an unreachable door for weeks."

Silently, Ginny agreed. This was really beginning to weigh her down, she stifled a yawn and absently wondered what time it was.

Jason noticed, he offered her a small comforting smile. "We should call it quits for today. If we are doing this tomorrow night, we need to sleep. After classes, we can meet here to finish planning. Maybe we come up with a few new ideas until then," he got up and stretched. 

Nobody protested too much. Annabeth asked them to store additional jackets and everything else they wanted to take along in their secret room tomorrow. Preferably as soon as possible so they could leave on short notice. 

Mumbling their agreement they left one after the other. Nico and Will gathered up their new school supplies that the others had dropped off for them.

Outside, their ways split towards different common rooms. It was way after curfew, Ginny realized but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about it. Silently they said their goodbyes.  
________________________________________

Nico,

He and Will had to go back to the infirmary for the night and after hearing Hermione curse something about curfew, he wasn't feeling too keen on returning there. In a place with rules as strict as this one, surely it would have been noticed that they weren't where they were supposed to be. Oh well.

Briefly he wondered if the rules even were genuinely strict or if he was just so used to a complete lack of guidance and restriction that this already felt like a total loss of freedom. The others didn't seem to think it was too bad. Compared to Hogwarts, Camp appeared outright chaotic. 

A few steps into the darkness, Annabeth caught up with them, shortly followed by Percy. Silently the two lead the way, having figured that Nico and Will would most likely get lost in the nightly castle otherwise. He glanced at Will, barely able to make out his features in the pitch-black corridor. 

It was a stupid idea but Nico couldn't resist. Without thinking about it further he reached out until he found Will's hand in the darkness. He thought he saw a smile, though it was too dark to tell for certain. Will laced his fingers through Nico's and squeezed his hand shortly, all of a sudden the castle no longer felt so restrictive to him. 

The darkness hid his grin and he was fairly certain that Percy and Annabeth managed to get them lost at least twice. He should be stressed out about tomorrow but instead he felt strangely happy. 

If he had learned one thing, it was that monsters would get you no matter how much you worried beforehand. So he might as well be happy now. With Will's hand in his, none of it seemed too bad either way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiii and thanks for reading!! Please let me know what you thought in the comments!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26, Hermione

The entire morning she spent in the factual calm of the Hogwarts library. Normally it was the only place where she could find true inner peace, the timeless promise of truth between the pages of books never failed to install her with a sense of righteousness. It had been her only comfort when she first arrived in the wizarding world, friendless and confused. 

It was a good thing that she had long since befriended Harry and Ron, today more than ever. This was the first time in her educational career at Hogwarts, that she dreaded the library. 

With pursed lips, she hunched over a stack of books, Hazel and Annabeth mirroring her on the opposite end of the table. The reason for her dismay was an ordinary old book, flicked open in front of her. 

She sighed deeply and had half a mind to simply close it and keep looking but she knew it would be useless. "You can stop searching," she grumbled. Hazel and Annabeth met her eyes.

Pushing a wayward strand of hair out of her face she read out what she had found, the last piece of the magical law puzzle they had been putting together. 

"As decided in the case of Anna Anders in 1708, a signature only counts if it is magically provable who signed it. Since there are various undetectable forging spells, a ministry official has to be present during the signing or a written testimony alone will not hold in court." 

Hazel and Annabeth groaned collectively. Hermione tried not to let the dejection she felt seep through her voice, "that settles it. We don't have enough to get Lucius Malfoy locked up in Azkaban. He is a murderer and it simply doesn't matter." 

Frowning, Annabeth pulled the book towards her. "But that doesn't make any sense," she complained. "How does the wizarding government ever find out who is guilty with these faulty and outdated laws?" She sounded as irritated as Hermione felt.

"A lot of it depends on family names. That's what Ron always says. I didn't want to believe it but this just proves the theory," Hermione admitted. "We probably would have lost against him in court anyways, the Malfoys have power."

The whole ordeal was infuriatingly unjust. More so because she couldn't help but directly associate it with Sirius' case. 

Twirling a strand of her cinnamon hair around her finger, Hazel mumbled, "it's simply too difficult to discern between real and magically fabricated prove. Nobody ever bothered to properly discern the two because it's easier to just blame and prosecute people based on public opinion."

"This is worse than the American law system," muttered Annabeth with thorough disgust, which made Hermione's lips curl up.

A dark knot had slowly manifested in her chest, even though she was reluctant to acknowledge it. 'The law is wrong,' she kept thinking. Her moral compass was spinning in circles, desperate for a new alignment. It whirred to a stop the second she made a decision.

"So we will keep the book to us," she decided. She wouldn't allow bitterness to settle over her thoughts. The law may be the truth they had to live with but that didn't make it inherently right. It should be right, but it wasn't, and she'd change that. One way or another, even if it meant ignoring it for the moment.

The grey zone she had just accepted to be moving in made her uneasy. There was right and wrong. Rules and problems. An idea she had clung to all her life, to bring order in the chaos that was magic. It was time to let that idea go, find her own truth, one that wasn't just hidden but didn't exist yet. Today she dreaded the library.

Dejectedly they began sorting the books back into their respective shelves. Annabeth jotted down the main problem in keywords for later reference. Maybe they could come back to it at one point if they found new evidence. 

Over the cause of the morning, they had begun to leave notes in their secret room for each other. As they researched and trained between classes and meals it was hard to communicate the same ideas to everyone. Instead of wasting an hour before their mission in the evening, they'd all leave notes and read new ones as they came and went.

The beginning had been a crumpled piece of parchment stuck to the wall over the fireplace. It showed an afterthought of spells they hadn't covered yet, written by Ron. It looked starkly out of place in its lonesomeness, contrasting the dark wall behind it. But not for long.

Soon it had been joined by a note from Piper. In her favorite purple ink, it suggested they'd take the thestrals since they didn't have enough pegasi for everyone. Nico added to that, letting them know that he'd round up the theastrals in a matter of minutes if need be, in his sharp handwriting.

The written conversation went on like that, with reminders and suggestions soon piling over one another. Ginny eventually left a roll of red yarn in the room, using a piece of it to connect her answer to the question on the other side of the wall. They used sticking charms instead of pins but the wall turned into a colorful mess within half a day nonetheless. 

When they got to the room, intending to pin their dismal conclusion to the wall, only one new note had been added. 'Nico and Will are going to be sorted into their houses during lunch break,' Jason's tidy writing informed them matter of factly. 

________________________________________  
Leo

Hazel was pacing in front of the headmasters' office, waiting for Nico and Will. Leo, Ginny, and the twins had tagged along but more out of curiosity than concern. 

The sorting took a considerable time longer than Leo remembered their own sorting to. He figured it didn't really matter since there was one of them in every house anyways but Hazel still anxiously sighed every few seconds. 

Finally, the door opened. Will stepped out first, adjusting his new blue and bronze tie and grinning at them sheepishly. Leo let out a loud 'whoop' before he could think about it. "I knew all the best people are in Ravenclaw, take that suckers," he yelped and rushed over to throw one arm around Will's neck, true bro manner.

Will scrambled and tried to get away on instinct. Nico pushed Leo out of the way and scowled at him. Nobody else cared about Leos show, the Weasleys specifically were too busy cornering a still scowling Nico. 

"He's one of us!" Screeched Ginny excitedly and pulled him in a hug. Nico didn't know how to react, his eyes went large. Any previous concern the wizards might have had about the supposedly scariest one of the demigods was promptly whisked away. Will stood by with a happily bouncing Hazel.

Will's lips quirked up now that he was out of Leo's reach, "I didn't know the whole house thing was such a big deal," he said with mild puzzlement. Hazel next to him cringed.

She sure had gotten used to the wizard customs rather quickly, Leo thought. "Think of it like the cabins at camp. It's personal for these kids, only that instead of family, it's basically your entire social circle," he qualified.

Will scratched his head with a frown, "so you're telling me that everyone only has friends within their own house? How about dates?"

Leo raised an eyebrow at him, "got anyone specific in mind?" He grinned broadly.

Defiantly glancing away, Will tried to hide the blush that was creeping up his face. "What? Um?-" he stammered helplessly. 

Hazel saved him, "It's not forbidden, just frowned upon. The whole idea snakes throughout the entire wizarding society," she clarified. "Take it as a warning that you'll get strange looks for hanging out with us from now on. We can't do much but ignore it until we find a way to unite the four houses," she shrugged unhappily.

Joining them, Ginny chimed, "since you two are such good friends, it's worth noting that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw is a dreadful combination for anyone who has to deal with you," she smirked. "Just look at the chaos tendencies Leo and my brothers have."

"Recklessness and the brains to actually pull most reckless stunts off," Hazel acknowledged.

Turning to Nico, Will said, "are you still following this?"

"I think its sometimes best to just nod along and draw your own conclusions," Nico mused diplomatically. The others chuckled and they went on their way to show Nico and Will to their respective common rooms.  
________________________________________  
Harry

Throughout the entire day, his nerves lay blank. Being used to accidentally or impulsively finding himself in risky situations, it unsettled him to be setting out for one on purpose. Worse than that, it gave him time to think beforehand.

This was his chance to finally do something instead of being pushed around. It was his chance to step up, to change his situation instead of accepting it. There was only one problem;

Their plan had a hole. A gaping one that had to be fixed. He was used to Draco Malfoy being one of his everyday problems, but this was a different scale. If he recognized Nico and Will, and told his parents they were here, their entire plan would combust.

The deatheaters would guess who had the book and change all of their plans, thereby ruining any advantage the order might have at the moment. It would also only take the slightest bit of probing in the ministry to find out about the 'exchange student program'. By extension, the entire world of the demigods would be at risk if that happened. 

They'd have lost both their advantages in one move. The demigods would have been wrong to trust and help them after all. Game over. And it all depended on Draco Malfoy, the one variable in their plan that no one had expected to be there.

Harry was determined not to let that happen, his new friends wouldn't regret their decision to help. This war wouldn't cost another magical people their world. Perhaps Dumbledore had been wrong to ask them for help, if only because it wasn't fair. 

The risks Dumbledore was gambling with were grander than the old fool realized. Unless he didn't care, as long as their side came out on top. Harry's heart lurched, he couldn't allow himself to think like that.

Carefully checking that the corridor was empty he produced his invisibility cloak out of his bag. In a swirl of fabric he vanished and began hurrying down the hallway, eyes firmly trained on the marauder's map. They were leaving in an hour, their plan had been mostly completed, Harry just had one thing left to do.

After the grim idea had crossed his mind, his thoughts kept circling around Dumbledore. Their leader, the man he looked up to and trusted unconditionally, who had been ignoring him for months. Who'd forbidden his friends from contacting him. Who continuously kept him in the dark and moved him like a pawn on a chessboard. 

He shook the thought lose. If he picked the right short cut and the stairs didn't screw him over, he might be able to catch the git before he got to his common room. His thoughts were racing as he refocused. He had no idea what he was even going to say but he had to try. His friends expected him to be a leader so it was time to start acting like one.

The map showed Draco to be alone. Harry sped up his pace and folded the card away, one more corridor to go.

Rounding the next corner, he came to a dead stop. Draco wasn't alone. The map was never wrong though, he thought desperately. Unless it didn't show demigods, which was entirely possible, it just hadn't occurred to him before.

Nico di Angelo was cornering Draco, a murderous glare on his face. Obviously, the flaw in their plan had come to him as well, having met Malfoy before. Harry crept closer, cursing internally and adjusting his plan. Only a few steps away, he halted. Listening intently he attempted to find the right moment to slide in.

"Get away from me," hissed Draco. Nico just rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on Malfoys robes.

"I will. Once you give me a reason to believe that you won't screw us over," Nico told him and if it wasn't for the tension in his eyes, Harry would almost have bought the bored tone.

Despite being almost a head taller than Nico, Malfoy didn't muster the strength to as much as keep Nico at an arm's length. "If I tell them, I'm screwed too. Your side might be all about forgiveness, but mine isn't. If they ever find out I helped you, I'm a dead man. I wasn't even supposed to know about this book and now I'm the reason it's gone," he burst out.

He sounded genuinely afraid, Harry thought. Even if he was afraid because of a situation his own cowardice let him into, it was still a pitiful sight. 

Nico pushed him a little further into the corner, "who are they blaming for the disappearance of the book at the moment?"

"No one. They are still trying to find it and are wildly accusing each other. They haven't even told him yet, nobody wants to take the blame," answered Malfoy. His eyes miserably trained on the ground, he added, "I won't say anything because I'd like to survive. Because my parents have already fallen from his graces. Because even if telling them would help them for the moment, they don't reward bravery if it was necessary because of a mistake. Mistakes are to be covered up and not corrected," he spat bitterly. 

Harry processed the new information but Malfoy seemed to have talked himself into furious anger, the kind a scared animal would display. 

"I couldn't stick up to my aunt back then because it would have gotten you two killed. I couldn't stand being involved in that. It wasn't supposed to be like this, I just want out," he complained.

For some reason that last bit strung a chord deep within him. What did Malfoy think who he was to complain like that? If anyone wanted out, it was Harry. But he didn't have the luxury of keeping his head down and just going with whatever kept him alive. The way Malfoy squirmed, how he wouldn't stand for his side, drove Harry insane. 

Before he knew what he was doing, he tore down his invisibility cloak and in two big steps, he stood right in front of Malfoy. Startled grey eyes looked up at him, widening with apprehension. 

Nico took a step back, "I was wondering when you'd show up," he said with fond amusement. "I heard what I wanted to hear, he is all yours." He turned and left them alone in the nightly corridor.

Harry really hadn't thought this through, but he had to roll with it now. "Not having to stand for anything is a rotten privilege," he stated coldly. "But ask yourself who will stand for you if you need it?" He pushed Malfoy away who still watched him wide-eyed.

Taking a deep breath to control his temper, Harry went on, "I think you are on the wrong side Malfoy, and I will prove it to you."

"I don't want your bloody help Potter," growled Malfoy, seemingly having regained his dignity. 

He was so past passively letting things happen, this almost made him laugh. He wouldn't take any of Malfoys shit ever again. His plan was insane, but so was the idea that demigods existed. He'd safe as many people as he could, even someone as irritating as Malfoy. His reasoning was good enough for the moment but there was nothing guaranteeing that Malfoy wouldn't screw them over in the future and he intended to change that.

"This is a fucking war Malfoy. Not choosing a side will get you killed, especially 'cause public knowledge is that you're on the losing side." He knew he sounded harsher than he liked but if Nico managed to get his point across that way, then Harry would gladly do the same.

"I wasn't asking you to come along. I told you you would. I'm not thrilled to have you around either but you made sure Nico and Will didn't get killed. Now I'm doing the same for you, whether you like it or not. You need a reality check and I'll make sure you get one. If you still think I was wrong after tonight, I will never bother you again. Or are you scared?"

He knew it was perhaps more bold than clever to approach Malfoy like this but now that he phrased it like a challenge he had pretty much already won. The whole idea was insane. He couldn't trust the git. At least wanting to save no one but himself made him predictable and controllable. So did his pride.

"What do you think will happen? There is nothing you could do to fix what's been broken. I know who I am. My life has been sat in stone," Malfoy ground out.

Harry sighed tiredly, already regretting his decision, he said, "then you have nothing to lose." And extended his hand.

There was no space for uncertainty in his war effort, even if he didn't like Malfoy, he had to win him over. He'd provoke a reaction out of him somehow, there had to be something he'd stand for. 

Sneering at him, Malfoy accepted the handshake. "Wouldn't have thought it would come to this all those years ago when you turned me away," he grumbled.

A resigned smile spread over Harry's face. This was dangerous territory. In truth, he had expected Malfoy to slap him away. Maybe the guy wanted out more desperately than Harry had thought.

For now, he'd do his best to take the old muggle saying to heart; keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Harry was just angry enough that it seemed plausible to subject himself to the torture that was having the git around. Malfoy never failed to bring out the worst in him, but maybe that was necessary every now and again. 

A firm handshake later, Harry felt as if both their fates had been altered. He wasn't sure yet whether that was a good thing or not. What he was sure of, however, was that Dumbledore most likely wouldn't approve of the leap of faith Harry had taken. Somehow that made him feel slightly better about his choice. 

He led the way outside to the castle grounds where he was supposed to meet the others, but only a few steps down the corridor, Malfoy stopped him.

"We can't be seen together," he insisted and seemed about to turn away and bolt when Harry stopped him.

He was quickly losing his patience and he wasn't thrilled about having to explain Malfoys presence to Ron and Hermione. Yet something told him this was his only chance. "No one will see you," he said reluctantly, his plan expanding as he spoke. 

Taking a few more steps away, Malfoy snapped, "where are we going anyways, Potter? It's after curfew, shouldn't a goody-two-shoes like you be on his way to his tower?" The taunting was just to mask how unsure he was and Harry knew it. 

He felt his fists clench, knew that Malfoy had seen the movement, but he didn't have time for this. "We have a mission in little Whinging tonight. You, me, the Weasleys, Hermione, and all of the exchange students. We will fly there on thestral which might be invisible to you. We are breaking half the rules Hogwarts has, a few laws as well, but it is necessary."

There was a sick satisfaction in seeing the reality of it dawn on Malfoy. "Potter, you're insane! I didn't agree to that!" He protested. "I'll tell Snape," he decided.

"No you won't," said Harry calmly. "There are two ways this can go." He took a deep breath.

"One; you play along. I keep my promise and nobody will see you. You keep your face, but learn a few things about this war. You will not tell anybody."

"Two; you bolt and sell us out. Within a week some deatheaters will show up to hunt down the exchange students. They will fail, but so will our plan, which means people will die. We will forfeit the book, accidentally letting slip that you gave it to us. Worst scenario for everyone involved. If that's not enough to scare you, because it should be, then there is still this," he launched forward before Malfoy could stop him.

He hadn't seen the move coming but Harry only had a one seconds advantage. Thanks to the demigods' training it was enough. Grabbing Malfoys bony wrist in one hand, he yanked the other boy forward and exposed the pale skin of Malfoys lower left arm. 

As expected, the dark mark stretched out before his eyes. Ugly and terribly it stood stark and strikingly alive against everything around it. Malfoy wasn't a worn deatheater like the others who bore this. Hogwarts was to warm and engulfingly friendly for this to exist here. Yet there it was. 

"Last consequence, I let Dumbledore know you are marked. Your life will be over on both sides. Pick your path," he concluded.

Harry slowly let go of him and tore his eyes away. He ignored the shiver that went down his spine. Malfoy could call for Voldemort at any given second. He just had to trust that he wouldn't. He had a feeling what he was doing in secret was riskier than the actual mission.

Seizing him up with wide eyes, Malfoy sneered at him, "how do I know you won't tell Dumbledore anyway?"

"How do I know you won't call for Voldemort?" He countered. "Same reason. This is between us, no reason to get the adults involved and break the war lose even sooner." Carefully schooling his expression he waited for a reaction.

"You're not going to tell me more, are you?" Asked Malfoy, carefully hiding his weariness. Harry simply shook his head.

Cursing under his breath, Malfoy stalked past him towards the Hogwarts grounds. "Are you coming or what?" He called over his shoulder, sounding endlessly bitter. Harry smirked, even though Malfoy would never admit defeat, he had clearly just won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all, thanks for reading!
> 
> I know it's been a while, tbh part of it was because I couldn't sort Nico and Will for the life of me. I'll try to get back to your comments soon and I hope you like the new chapter! As always, pleasee let me know what you thought!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27, Frank

He really wished the others would take this whole ordeal more seriously. Especially the wizards seemed outright giddy at the idea of their first mission. The gods may know what had gotten into Hermione but she pretty much did a 180° in her behavior; from timid and rule-abiding to bold and proactive. She astonished Frank.

Their group stood outside on the damp lawn and the sun was setting behind them. They were waiting for Leo and the twins who had volunteered to cause a distraction that ensured nobody would look out of the window as they took off. Clinging to the growing nightly shadows, they hoped to be hidden well enough from the eyes of nosy classmates.

Harry was acting strangely too. Jumpy and nervous but also certain, it really made no sense. A sneaking suspicion arose in Frank, telling him he didn't know of everything that had happened that day. Whatever was going on, Nico seemed to know more than Frank did. He kept smirking knowingly. 

Percy and Nico were waiting for a signal to round up the Thestrals and Pegasi the second it was safe. In turns they'd glance at the astronomy tower and back to the front door, waiting for a teacher to storm out and ruin everything, or a blue light to set things in motion.

The others could say about Nico what they wanted, but his poker face was terrible. Perhaps that came from shadowtraveling away from awkward situations, he didn't usually need a poker face.

He didn't have time to further mull it over, just then a flash of ocean blue light gleamed above the highest tower. The demigods stood straighter, the wizards held their breaths. Percy whistled loudly, Nico disappeared into the nearest shadow.

Nothing. For one second, then another. Frank could hear his own heartbeat. Five seconds, then Blackjack appeared and with him six of his friends. From the opposite direction, Nico rejoined them. He sat atop one of the Thestrals, and half a herd followed him. 

The weird mixture of horse-like creatures landed gracefully in front of them. Some of the Pegasi whinnied as they received instructions from Percy, the Thestrals remained deadly silent. All the details had been discussed previously, there was no need for words, they knew what they needed to do. 

The wizards went straight for the few Pegasi since it would be better if they saw what they were flying on. Frank stepped closer to a Thestral, eerily beautiful and creepy as they were. He tried not to shudder as he climbed onto the cold creature. 

Within a minute everyone was settled, Percy raced ahead with Blackjack, up towards the astronomy tower, followed only by one Thestral and the remaining two Pegasi to collect Leo and the twins. 

Frank steered ahead, leading the others towards the edge of the school grounds. The further they got away from the border, the better. Hazel and Nico were at the very front with him, looking steely and fierce.

Hazel was their best bet for remaining hidden from muggle eyes. Nico was right with her because the Thestrals liked him best. Percy, Leo, Fred, and George rejoined them as they seared over Hogsmeade station, falling into the formation easily.

"Two dozen Dung bombs and dancing gnomes in the corridor leading to Umbridge's office," bellowed Fred proudly.

With a matching gleam in his eyes, George added, "and singing neon signs leading there from all other hallways!"

"Nobody is going to even consider looking out a window for the next two hours," promised Leo.

They flew as high as they could without getting lost, silent as death they rushed through the night. The time schedule they were operating on was tight but with every minute in the air, the anxiety was leaving him further. He had to remind himself that school rules didn't matter to him, and eventually he began to believe it.

As Hogwarts was growing faint behind them, he wondered if the wizards really knew what they were getting into. Then again, he saw Harry whisper something to Percy just seconds before they took off, so maybe he himself didn't know everything. 

________________________________________

Harry,

The journey wasn't nearly as long as it should have been and Harry suspected it had something to do with the demigods. Ordinary things like physics or time didn't seem to apply to them.

Half of the way he spent considering how to go about the one part of the plan that was entirely up to him; warning the Dursleys. It was far easier to get lost in his thoughts than deal with the reality that Draco Malfoy was invisibly sitting on the grey Pegasus with him.

He was flying over London on a Pegasus with Draco Malfoy clinging to him and he had decided to properly react to the situation sometime next week. Taking a shaky breath he pushed all sentiments of logic away once more. 

Every now and again he heard Malfoy curse at him under his breath, ironically grounding him to reality. In order to pull this off without causing his friends a heart attack, he had wordlessly thrown his invisibility cloak at Malfoy. 

Luckily the git got the implication to keep his arse hidden. Giving away the cloak felt like admitting defeat and he had to constantly remind himself that it had been his own idea and was necessary for the big picture.

At any other time he'd have laughed at that notion, how many times had he been accused of recklessness? Of never thinking before he acted? Still, all those people would hardly be proud of him for how he chose to think. He felt guilty and bitter and the only way to keep going was to focus on other issues.

Hence, the Dursleys. There were plenty of things he'd like to say to them, none of which were friendly. Annoyingly there was the minor problem that he had to return to living with them at the end of the year. Warning them was the only option but whenever he tried to picture his aunt opening the door for him in the middle of a school night, he saw a different nightmare.

His thoughts turned in restless circles. If he allowed to them drift, the image of a screeching aunt Petunia would turn into a disappointed and betrayed Hermione when she inevitably found out he had taken Malfoy along. A deep sigh rose in his throat. Even when he was trying to do the right thing, all the short term options seemed wrong. 

Before they left, he had warned Percy to trust him and be prepared to take an invisible person back with him should anything go wrong. That had earned him a kick to the shin from Malfoy. He couldn't flinch, but silently he swore to get his revenge. After all, he could just leave him without backup which would be far worse than Percy suspecting anything.

Nico must have come to some kind of conclusion as well and Harry really wished the guy would stop smirking. At least Percy had accepted his ominous 'no questions asked' request and went along with it without causing any drama.

By the time they flew over Bristol, Hazel called for him to join her at the front of the group to navigate. Even as he obliged he had to note how utterly in charge she looked. All the demigods had their specialties and domains and while he was well aware of that, it was different to see it than to simply know it. 

Images began flaring up in front of his inner eye of all the adventures and places the seven had mentioned. With a start, they all seemed much closer and much more real. He also became unpleasantly aware of the Slytherin behind him yet again and hoped any powers they displayed could be passed off as magic. Revealing them certainly wasn't a part of his plan. 

Once they were close enough they selected a secluded building that Harry recognized as a local public school to land behind. It was pitch black and even as he couldn't see anything at the moment, he suddenly became aware that he'd no longer know where Malfoy was going. Cursing internally for the obvious flaw, he hoped the snake knew what was good for him and didn't decide to wander off. 

Blindly he grabbed behind him on a whim, it was too dark for the others to discern what he was doing anyway. He caught a handful of the silky fabric he knew so well and breathed with relief. Malfoy hadn't run off yet, though he quietly hissed at Harry and tried to scramble away.

"Who was that?" Asked Annabeth sharply in response to the sound. Harry felt her grey eyes piercing him more than he saw them and shuddered. Refusing to lighten his grip on Malfoy he didn't reply and instead clumsily felt for the other boys' arm. 

Ron scratched his chin, "I heard nothing," he said. Shortly followed by, "au- Ginny that was my foot!" He began quietly bickering with his sister until Jason stopped them. 

Harry had in the meantime found what he was looking for and firmly placed Malfoys hand on his shoulder. He glared at the air behind him, it may be for the git's safety but it was also a warning. He wasn't overly concerned, something told him that Malfoy wanted to know how all of this would play out as much as he did.

The Pegasi and Thestrals vanished as soon as they dropped them off. In a low voice, Percy informed him that they'd be flying in circles over the area, just in case.

Strolling down the nightly street looking as inconspicuous as they could, they soon came to their original target; Privet drive four. Blinking a few times Harry tried to console the reality of the pristine and familiar driveway with his friends who were never supposed to be anywhere a place that utterly mundane. 

In trios, the wizards and demigods took off to ward the surrounding houses with protective spells. The demigod would do the actual magic since the ministry couldn't detect them, the rest of them would make sure the incantations were strong enough and performed correctly. They had a list of spells for each of the houses and another handful for the entire street. None of it concerned Harry at the moment.

Facing the Dursley home he was painfully reminded of how much he didn't belong there, of how painful his summer had been. Yet he had to be the bigger person and attempt to warn them. For a terrible second, he considered turning around and leaving. It would be insane after the risk they took to get here, but really, what did he owe those people? 

Swallowing his anger and pride he walked towards the door like in trance. He had to do what was right, or he'd be no better than his enemy. He had to be better, they had too much in common as it was. The thought comforted him, he wasn't doing this for the Dursleys but for what it meant to him as a person. This was a decision of moral, not likability. 

He waited till his friends had moved a few houses away. Only Nico and Percy were still with him. Hazel had swiftly turned off all twelve street lights, they were completely and utterly alone in the darkness. For some reason, he didn't mind Nico and Percy facing his relatives but he could really do without Malfoy there. His only comfort was that there was no way Malfoy could tell anyone about the encounter.

He knocked on the door. As expected there was no reaction, they had to be asleep already. He tried again, rather insistently this time. Nico gave him a questioning glance before promptly pushing Harry out of the way and kicking in the door.

His first reaction was to flinch away, but just a second later cold satisfaction twisted the corners of his mouth upward. A few inconveniences wouldn't kill the Dursleys.

Pushing the door all the way open he trudged inside. In the blatant obliviousness of privet drive, all secrets seemed stupid. If he already had to endure Malfoy being there it would be on his terms, Nico and Percy suspected something anyways.

He made sure all curtains were drawn shut before leading them in the kitchen and turning on the light. Then he snatched his invisibility cloak back. There was no gentle way to explain this, so why bother? Keeping secrets drained all his energy and he'd rather keep them to a minimum.

"He needed a reality check, that'll do," he gestured around before he added, "Beware of my relatives, they suck." Pulling by a chair from the table he slumped down and decided to let them battle it out.

Malfoy glared at him with furious fear, "have you gone bloody mental Potter? How do I know they won't kill me?"

Smirking, Nico answered, "you don't." Percy stomped on his foot to make him shut up.

"I'm in your house," said Percy evenly. Malfoy just continued to scowl at him, wand half raised. He looked like a cornered animal. 

"Who are you really?" He bit back. "I know some American wizards, you are not like them at all," he pointed at Nico, "and you knew nothing about wizards when we first met."

Tilting his head Nico enjoyed the power he had for a moment, "we are far more dangerous than you, that's all you get."

"You told them, didn't you?" Asked Malfoy and swallowed heavily, his wand-hand quivered. Nico nodded unapologetically. 

"What caused all of this? What does this stupid book say that's important enough to leave school in the middle of the night? I expect stunts like that from reckless Gryffindors," he ground out, "but you?" He pointed at Percy accusingly.

It would have been a pitiful sight if Malfoy hadn't sounded so spiteful. That he continuously insulted them in between sentences also didn't help. 

Harry ran a shaky hand through his hair and absently wondered how the others were doing. He sighed. Percy seemed to sense that he needed a break and took over for him.

"What does your side think happened to the book?" He inquired steadily. 

Draco hesitated, "They don't know for sure that you got into the house, they hope they stopped you in the forest," he admitted what Harry had been hoping. 

"They think the book got lost, that maybe the dark lord took it himself. Nobody would question it if it just reappeared," he concluded warily. Harry watched him with caution, trying to decipher what he might be thinking.

Before he came to a decision, Nico caught on. "You think they will accuse you next," he stated and recognition gleamed in his eyes. 

Malfoy turned away defiantly, which just confirmed the suspicion. Harry and Percy exchanged a short glance, Malfoy may be a douche but the people he was living with were outright dangerous. Gods knew what they'd do to him if they believed him a traitor. They hadn't been above using unforgivables on Nico and Will. 

Tapping his wand against the table nervously, Harry had an idea. He didn't like not being able to discuss it with Ron and Hermione first and it was a leap of faith but it could pay off immensely. 

He mustered Malfoy carefully, "do you think you could sneak in and bring the book back? That would clear your name, right?"

"Why would you let me do that?" Draco's defiant expression just deepened. 

Nico rolled his eyes and pulled one of the copies out of his bag. He flipped it open and slammed it on the table. "That's why. You're living with murderers, and we, the good guys, think you're not like them."

Malfoy's facade slipped for half a second. His eyes darted towards Harry as if he was looking for confirmation which was interesting. Maybe he was looking for a sense of direction even more desperately than he let on. 

Reaching out for the book, he scoffed at them. "That's nothing," he said coldly. "Its an address, a date and two names. It might refer to my Dad but this could be about a business meeting for all I know." He pushed the book away like a pouting kid.

"Dude, wake up," exclaimed Percy exasperatedly. "Where was your father that day? Didn't you notice anything?" He kept pestering him. Malfoy turned away with a pained expression.

Nico's face didn't betray any emotion, "I was there," he spat. "A destroyed family home," he gripped Malfoys arm, "dead parents," he tightened his grip, "dead children." His eyes were wide and impatient.

"You're wrong," said Malfoy mechanically but there was doubt in his eyes. Shaking his head vehemently he swore, "my aunt might do something like that. Or his other followers on a bad day. But it's mainly politics," he said helplessly. "My father isn't a murderer," he insisted and the panic rose in his voice with every word. 

Guilt crept up in Harry. The demigods were used to that awfulness of things and in a way he was too but they had to remember that not everyone was. Most wizards weren't. Malfoy was obviously hyperventilating and he hated that the git made him feel guilty. 

One side of Harry thought Malfoy was delusional to still believe in his family. The other side argued that he must have never had a cause not to believe them. Crushing his worldview like that seemed cruel. 

Then he remembered that Lucius Malfoy was a murderer who had wanted to kill him and several of his friends before. His empathy evaporated but he wasn't forced to act.

Nico surged forward, "we don't have all night," he declared. "I'll show you, if you still believe in him after that, you are a lunatic and we can't help you." Reaching out for Draco's arm with his unnaturally pale hand he left no room for argument.

It wasn't clear to Harry what exactly Nico was getting at but he supposed it was some kind of demigod power. He sat back and watched and tried not to feel too guilty. 

Malfoys' eyes glazed over and went wide while Nicos' were tightly shut. It only lasted for a minute then Malfoy came back to himself and ripped his arm away. "No," he breathed. "That's not possible. That was a trick," he sounded close to tears. 

Now Percy seemed to have his doubts too. Softly he pulled Nico away, "it's all we can tell you right now." He paused before adding, "Slytherins are all about cunning and ambition, right?" He didn't wait for a response. "If you want some power back, prove that you're cunning and bring back the book. Save yourself."

The tension around them was thick enough to cut, eventually Malfoy regained his composure. Seemingly remembering his company, he straightened his back and pushed all emotions far behind his mask.

He looked up at Harry calculatingly, "I'll do it. We'll help each other, but when the time comes you can't turn me down either," he warned.

Harry accepted. He knew Malfoy wouldn't have offered if he wouldn't benefit from it himself but that hardly mattered at the moment. "Do you know how you'll do it?"

Malfoy answered with a scoff, "what you should be asking is 'when' because it needs to happen soon." 

That made sense and he was glad to note that the snake still irritated him with simple remarks like no one else. There was something about the determination in those grey eyes that should have worried him but he had other priorities. 

Chiming in, Nico decided, "tonight. I'll go with him. No need to turn it in two missions."

That was a little sudden and not an easy task without any preparation or any idea who they'd meet. Before Harry could voice his concerns, the front door burst open again.

In a split second, they were all up and standing in a row, wands pointed at the hallway. Two Slytherins and two Gryffindors, two wizards, and two demigods. All that mattered was that if there were deatheaters on the other side, they were equally screwed. 

Harry didn't have time to appreciate the irony of achieving his long term goal on a small scale. Several loud crashes in the hallway distracted him, followed by loud arguing voices. 

With a racing heart, he stepped forth the slightest bit. He hoped their friends had hidden or moved on to the surrounding streets and not been discovered. He couldn't tell how much time had passed when the voices grew more distinct.

Harry cursed under his breath and lowered his wand, frantically hiding it in his cloak. He gestured for the others to do the same. Draco scowled at him and refused but at least he lowered his wand.

The door flew open with a loud bang. In stumbled his idiotic but comparatively unthreatening cousin, and three of his friends. Harry frowned, he had hoped to speak to his aunt alone which was already a weird thing to hope for. With Dudley here, his chances had dropped to zero.

Harry groaned tiredly, he really had no interest in dealing with Dudley and his lackeys. His shoulders went slack, "they are stupid but harmless, don't mind them. I suppose my aunt will show up any second now that they woke the entire street," he offered.

"We really don't have time for this," Percy reminded him. "We already wasted too much time, the others should be almost done." Instant dislike sept through his voice which amused Harry the slightest bit. Dudley with his beady eyes and malicious neanderthal backup was easy to put in a box.

"What are you doing here, freak?" Dudley ground out. His friends bellowed their agreement. Harry sighed. 

"I live here, even if I don't like it. Now I will have to talk to Aunt Petunia to save your sorry ass from being blown up by serial killers. Go outside and play."

Dudley's head turned an unhealthy shade of red as he struggled to come up with a comeback. "You shouldn't be here. Nobody wants you here. Freak." He advanced on Harry.

Stepping forward protectively, Percy crossed his arms. Malfoy sneered at Dudley, "who do you think you are you filthy-" Harry interrupted him.

"Where were you anyways? Out beating up a ten-year-old again? I could have sworn it was past your curfew big D," he taunted. He knew he should be above these childish games by now but Dudley was so ridiculously not scary compared to everything he had seen, he really couldn't be bothered. It felt nice to blow off some steam.

Dudleys already tiny eyes squinted at him angrily. "At least I'm not afraid of my pillow. 'Let Cedric live. Let Cedric live," he imitated Harry purposefully bad. 

In an instant, all Harry saw was red. It must have shown on his face because Dudley's friends started laughing while Percy attempted to hold him back. Malfoy shrunk into the back of the room.

"Is Cedric the guy you're dating?" Added Dudley, clearly proud of himself. The smug expression on his face didn't last long though. All four wizards attacked at the same time. Nico especially seemed to have an untapped reservoir of repressed anger. 

In a brutal tumble of limbs and punches, they stumbled through the room, knocking over furniture as they went. The remaining muggles tried to help but it only took a minute until Harry had pushed Dudley to the floor. Draco kicked him one last time for good measure.

"Cedric Diggory was a hero. A better person than you will ever be. He died. The people who killed him are planning to attack this street within the week." He didn't know why he attempted to explain anything to Dudley. He'd never get through, but it felt good to say the truth.

That was the moment his aunt and uncle chose to finally show up. In their pajamas and somewhere between shocked and utterly panicked. Aunt Petunia gasped like she was choking on air, her husband leaned against the wall for support.

Harry let go of Dudley as Percy and Nico escorted the remaining teenage muggles to the door. 

"What are you doing here?" Shrieked aunt Petunia. Her voice was high enough to make dog pipes jealous. "We're only letting you go to that school so we don't have to see you over the year. You can't just," she gestured with exasperation, "show up here." Shortly followed by, "Did the neighbors see you?"

Percy and Nico rejoined them and firmly placed themselves next to him, grimacing with disbelief and disgust. Malfoy had his perfect mask back in place. Nico was still glaring at Dudley with such intensity that his idiotic cousin willingly stayed on the floor, most likely remembering the pigtail incident.

"Get away from my boy!" bellowed Uncle Vernon and made a move as if to step between him and Nico. All four of them raised their wands in silent solidarity. Vernon stopped dead in his tracks.

"How dare you," he yelled, "bring even more freaks into my house!" The vein on his neck looked ready to burst. Harry instinctively stepped back, forcefully reminded that he couldn't use magic.

He took a deep steadying breath as his uncle continued to rage about the audacity, the sheer disappointment, the absolute curse, that was Harry Potter.

Harry talked over him, "What do you know about my parent's deaths? Don't lie to me this time," he began quietly but didn't give them time to answer. "This isn't about denying the wizarding world exists because you're scared, you can't do that anymore." 

Watching his aunt squirm shouldn't have given him that amount of satisfaction. Even Malfoy seemed to be worried that Harry had lost it.

Even to his own ears, his voice sounded dry, "This is the first time since you took me in that you have a reason to be afraid and I'm trying to warn you," he cursed, gaining momentum with each word. 

Petunia went pale, she shook her head in denial. Vernon was about ready to strangle him but Harry didn't care. Nico, Percy, and Draco just watched, silently evaluating.

"You treated me like shit all my life and I truly and deeply hate and resent you. Yet I'm here so you don't die gruesome and preventable deaths. Fucking listen to me." He stood facing his Uncle, all the piled up rage from the last summer and every summer before that made its way to the surface. 

His eyes flashed dangerously. "Answer me," he forced out, now turning his attention to his aunt.

"We know nothing," she cried. "They have no reason to attack us. You are lying," she demanded. Harry shook his head.

"It's starting again. It's just like last time. Houses of people who have nothing to do with this are being raided and the people living there killed," he stared down at his aunt. "You do remember that, right? That there was a war? That my parents died fighting bravely? Or have you started believing your own lies after telling them so often."

There was a hurt in his aunt's expression that he wouldn't have believed her capable of if he hadn't seen it. He swallowed heavily. "I've stumbled over some information that concerns you," his voice now leveled again.

Uncle Vernon had finally found his voice again. "No. Whatever it is we don't want to hear it," he roared and Harry half expected him to press his hands over his ears. 

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, he went on, "this house is one of the many that are supposed to be blown up. Whether you are in it or not."

Petunia shrieked. Dudley blinked at him uncomprehendingly. Vernons face had taken on a blotchy purple and red coloring. 

"Your headmaster," said his aunt in an exhausted whisper. "He said this house was safe!"

He shook his head, "it's safe as long as I consider it home because of a blood spell. The problem is; I never really considered this place my home. There is also a slight chance that the spell has been broken last year and I'd rather not test the theory," he corrected her with a sigh. 

Cringing away from the word 'blood spell,' she clenched and unclenched her hands helplessly. It hung dark and unspoken between them that had she treated him better, had she accepted him, they might not be standing here. This could have been his home, he thought, but the notion was so distant and long gone that it didn't seem real. Not anymore.

"The man who killed my parents," he looked at his aunt pointedly, "who killed your sister," he qualified. "He is back and rapidly gaining power. I saw him kill somebody just last year. To him, I'm important, he has to get rid of me, or else his success won't be complete." He explained hastily, well aware that his relatives wanted to hear none of it.

"I don't know how far he'd go to capture me. I think he wants to lure me out by attacking this street. He doesn't know that I could care less about you," he scowled despite himself. "He probably thinks I'd come to save you if need be."

Now his uncle furrowed his brows, his anger had seemingly drifted out the window, or maybe Harry had absorbed it. It was clear what he was wondering, Harry was asking himself the same thing. If circumstance called for it, would he save the Dursleys?

The line of thought seemed to be making his uncle uncomfortable and Harry was okay with that. The truth was, he didn't know. 

Vernon still eyed him warily when Harry continued entirely unbothered, "It's obviously up to you whether you want to get away or die as stupidly as you lived," he shrugged, "but if I were you I'd pack just the most important things and leave the town without telling anybody. Right now."

The Dursleys began to protest and Harry dropped his head in his hands. His uncle muttered about his work and his aunt as always was concerned about what the neighbors would think. "It's going to look like we are tax evaders running from the police," she whined.

Nico behind him had had enough for the night. His patience for people in general was uncommonly low but today it seemed to be especially bad. Maybe it was just his relatives' presence, Harry figured. He smashed his fist so hard onto the table that it left a dent. "You heard him," was all he said. 

Surprisingly, Dudley was the first to move. He probably just wanted to leave the room, or make sure he could pack his video game console, but he scrambled away hurriedly. They heard his loud footsteps trampling up the stairs when his parents finally got over the shock.

Harry sat down again and watched in annoyance as panic got the better of the Dursleys yet again. At least this time it was productive panic as the rushed around the house collecting the things they deemed most important.

When his aunt came back to the kitchen to get her wallet, Harry stopped her. "Leave your ID's with me. Go somewhere you've never been. Don't tell anyone your real names. Get a new car." 

She pursed her lips but didn't reply. Instead, she just nodded tightly and emptied half the snack cabinet into her purse. Distantly he heard his uncle fighting with their suitcases and his aunt went to help him, leaving them alone in her pristinely mundane kitchen. Harry had never witnessed such chaos in this house, something about it deeply satisfied him. 

It was like seeing the chaos he was battling on the inside brought to the surface. Finally, somebody reacted like he expected them to. He breathed deeply and let the anger and frustration seep out of him. One mission of the night accomplished, one to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii guess who's back from writers block! Do I need to hide? Sorry either way. And thank you if you're still reading this! I can't believe this had over 400 kudos already! Thank you all so much, especially for all thd comments you left!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28, Percy

"We should go outside, see if we can help the others," he decided with a glance in the direction the Dursleys had disappeared in. Maybe they could avoid further interactions with them. 

If all muggles were like them, Percy considered, he would hardly blame anybody for not wanting anything to do with them. Good thing he knew better. His eyes fell on Draco, who had yet to say anything. 

"Do you get it now?" Asked Harry, and Malfoy avoided looking him in the eye. Ever since they got here there was an intensity about Harry that worried him. Though taking Draco along had been a good call, if a little reckless. 

Still staring at the floor, Draco mumbled, "They were so normal." It almost sounded like a complaint, as if he had wanted them to be even more unpleasant.

"Normal?" Percy echoed. Draco finally glanced up and shrugged defiantly.

"They aren't what I expected," he admitted. "Yeah, they were annoying but not evil. Not trying to steal magic or something like that. This place is ugly but more civilized than I expected," he trailed off.

Exchanging a short glance with Harry to confirm that he was equally taken aback by Malfoys words, he shifted his weight uncomfortably. To his relief, Harry's disgusted expression confirmed that he too did not think the Dursleys were normal. 

They didn't comment on it, silently agreeing that anything to steer Malfoy away from the dark end would have to do. 

"Do you get it now?" Harry pried. "Or does this mess with your image of me living like royalty? Nico showed you what happened at the last house, didn't he? This could happen here too."

Harry went on insistently, "To everyone living in this street and the people here don't even know it," he gestured helplessly, a pleading look in his eyes. "They are just people, worrying about their families and work and whatnot."

Malfoy sneered at him, though he did appear to have some sort of existential crisis going on. He masked it well, but not well enough. Now it was Harry's turn to begin cursing and Percy understood him all too well. The truth is hardly ever comfortable, but ignoring it is outright dangerous.

Evading the question, Draco instead calmly replied, "I was wondering how long it would take. Pansy and I had a bet going, it's a shame I can't tell her I won," he said loftily. 

Harry was grinding his teeth but Percy just smirked. If he was evading the question that meant that Harry was right. 

"A bet?" Harry ground out, taking the bait. Percy sighed, there was still a lot the guy had to learn.

With a smug expression, Draco explained, "when you'd have the first dramatic outburst of the year. Took you longer than I thought."

Percy could practically see the steam coming out of Harry's ears. Not good. Smoothly he interrupted them, "we should really get going. The others might need us." He snatched the invisibility cloak from Harry and threw it at Draco. 

"You and Nico can leave as soon as we're out on the street. I'll come up with an excuse for the others," he offered. Nico seemed to see that as his cue. He had stood by the door watching quietly the entire time, now he unfroze. 

"Don't try anything stupid," he growled at a protesting Draco and grabbed him by the arm. 

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples. "Turns out the Dursleys and Malfoy are just as much of a nightmare combination as I imagined," he grumbled and trudged ahead. Back through the hallway and out the front door. The others followed.

They had barely stepped outside when Jason, Ron, and Hermione caught up with them. They appeared slightly disheveled but otherwise fine and Percy couldn't help but glance to his right to make sure the invisibility cloak was doing its job.

Searching their faces for a clue as to how the meeting with Harry's relatives went, Jason said, "we almost got caught by some old lady," he grimaced.

Doing his best not to betray any information on Harry's home life, Percy gave him a blank stare. Hermione next to Jason giggled a little, "Ron told her she was dreaming and that she should sleepwalk back to bed, it was amazing."

A genuine chuckle rose in his throat, "well-done dude, like a real-life Jedi," he retorted with a grin which made Hermione laugh even more and got sheepish grins from Harry and Jason.

"A what?" Asked Ron, with bemused confusion. The pride Ron allowed himself because of Hermione's reaction suited him, he noticed absently. Sadly though he did not get the chance to explain the entire plot of Star Wars as just then the door behind them burst open again.

Jason, Ron, and Hermione instinctively took a step back into the darkness. The feeling of not being welcome in this street remained omnipresent, not only for them. 

As expected it was just the Dursleys, carrying heavy suitcases and paying them no mind. Percy rolled his eyes and was just about to suggest they get going when Harry's aunt removed herself from her family.

The lean and pointy figure that was Petunia Dursley stalked towards them, her eyes firmly trained on Harry as if the others might not be there if she didn't acknowledge them. She thrust three plastic cards in Harry's hands and pursed her lips as if she wanted to say something but thought better of it. 

In the darkness, he couldn't tell whether Harry was disappointed or not. Yet he found himself glad that she was gone, the distaste had been etched so deeply into her face that he had to wonder if the woman ever wore a different expression. As if that wasn't enough he couldn't help but be reminded of Mrs. Dotts, Percy shuddered.

Harry acknowledged her just as little as she had them. Silently pocketing the cards he watched her turn on her heels and march back to her disgustingly normal family. 

Hermione gave Harry a concerned sideways glance, "you know I could just have enchanted their IDs?" She said carefully, obviously having caught up with Harry's intentions for taking them in the first place.

"Nah," decided Percy in Harry's stead as he felt his lips curl up cruelly. "We demigods never take paperwork on our quests," he justified, "Also, their son pretty much introduced himself with a gay joke. I think coping without their precious paperwork is going to be good character building." He was aware that the contempt in his voice was slightly misplaced but he couldn't bring himself to feel bad.

Clearly having been pulled out of thought, Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise, "I really just didn't want anyone to know who they are!" He explained hastily.

Shaking her head Hermione countered, "have you ever heard of wizards who check for IDs?" But she didn't really sound annoyed, more like she was scolding him out of habit. Harry shook his head dejectedly but Percy grinned.

He may not be aware of it, but Harry definitely did have a family. Someday he'd realize, Percy thought as he watched them bicker back and forth.

Meanwhile, Ron followed the conversation with increasing confusion. He appeared mildly agitated at having yet another question about something everyone else seemed to know. After another few seconds of struggling with himself, he gave in, "what the bloody hell is an ID?" He asked wide-eyed.

Both, Harry and Hermione stopped their half-hearted arguing to stare at Ron until finally, they started laughing. It was something so simple but yet again they were reminded of how close and simultaneously far apart their worlds were.

With a soft smile, Hermione promised to explain it later as their odd little group strolled down the street. 

He really would have liked to say it came as a surprise when suddenly the atmosphere around them turned so cold he thought he had walked into a solid wall of ice. In reality, things had been going way too smoothly for his standards.

Percy had had a feeling that Harry would have to prove himself soon but there was nothing that could have prepared him for what he saw when they rounded the next corner. The sky was full of monsters, and upon the first glance, he knew they weren't his kind of monsters. 

Pitch black and seamless like death the cloaked figures floated all around them, occasionally swooping down to attack. Coldness clung to them the like a second skin, growing thicker the closer they got. Percy's teeth were chattering and the others weren't doing much better.

In the middle of it all, their remaining friends had formed a circle, warding off the beasts as well as they could. Even from a distance, it was clear they wouldn't hold up much longer.

"What are those?" Breathed Nico, and he had the audacity to sound fascinated.

"How do we kill them?" Corrected Percy.

"Dementors," groaned Harry. Then he found his teaching voice and urgently began to explain as they ran towards the rest of their group. "Can't be killed, only driven away. There is a spell. It's too complicated to teach now," he said, panic creeping in his voice.

Somewhere to his left, Malfoys voice piped up, "but you can do it, right Potter? Don't tell me those rumors were fake!" He sounded angry and Percy wondered if those two had ever encountered Dementors together before today. 

They were getting closer but the wind seemed to be pushing them back and maybe it was his imagination but the Dementors seemed to steer their friends further away from them. 

"I can get rid of them, but I only have one real shot before they cling to me," explained Harry. 

What he wasn't saying but Percy heard anyways was this; he had to be the one to cast the spell. None of the others could do it. Not even the other wizards. The second he used magic, the ministry would know he was here. And the ministry was infiltrated. This could very well be the end of their mission, yet Harry was offering. They had no other choice.

"So what are you waiting for?" Complained Malfoy. Percy cursed silently. 

As they got closer he could make out that the other demigods were fruitlessly slashing at the monsters with their weapons. It bought them a few seconds each time but it couldn't go on forever. The entire constellation had moved almost to the end of the street, a dark storm churning around them.

Hazel was the first to spot them, she shouted something at the others that he couldn't make out. The whole group began to struggle back against the Dementors with new urgency. 

A dark shadow came down onto him and his vision blanked. Blindly he drew Riptide as every negative emotion he had ever felt was threatening to surface. It began with ugly Gabe and ended with Tartarus but all the misery also brought anger with it. 

Just as he thought his heart might turn to stone from the cold, his instincts kicked in. Navigating on nothing but muscle memory he slashed through the darkness. Light came through as if he had ripped apart a storm cloud. But every move felt thrice as heavy, his muscles didn't want to obey even though his blade seemingly met no resistance. Hopelessness crept upon him.

"Positive memories," yelped Hermione a few feet away from him and he understood. Just the other day she had explained how some spells focused more on your emotions than the words you used to cast them. He thanked the gods for having listened to her.

'Annabeth's smile,' he thought and took a step forth. 'Sally Jacksons World famous blue cookies,' though those cookies were more synonymous with a feeling than just for good food. 'Camp'. With each thought a bit of warmth came back to him, spreading from his fingertips and enabling him to hold his grip on Riptide.

The Dementors were all around him now. He could hardly make out Harry who was clutching his head, wand in hand, and seemingly shouting out orders. Jason attempted to blast them out of the sky with lightning but it passed right through them and he looked more exhausted than before.

"Once I use the spell, you have about ten minutes to get the hell out," Harry yelled. "Go back to Hogwarts. Somebody needs to know what happened in case the deatheaters get here first."

Ron was desperately trying to shield Hermione and get closer to Harry at the same time. "That will take way too long! Are you bloody mental?" 

Wildly and ineffectively thrashing at Dementors somewhere in the background, Leo shouted breathlessly, "I think I have a plan to get half of us out. It doesn't involve a blowtorch this time, I swear!" He sounded strained despite the joke though. Percy hoped Leo knew what he was doing but was happy to accept any kind of plan at the moment.

Frank had turned into a bear. What good that did them exactly hadn't shown yet but maybe those things found claws more intimidating than celestial bronze. 

Frank the bear was marching around them and slashing at Dementors purposefully and Percy wished they had more of a conscience because then they surely would have at least been confused.

Despite looking pained, Harry stuck to his order and briefly signaled Leo his okay. Percy would have rather sent him away as well but they really didn't have time to sit down and discuss it at the moment. He came to a conclusion and made an order himself. 

"Wizards, leave the second these things are gone. Demigods stay. Nico, stick to the plan," he tried to make himself heard and hoped he sounded braver than he felt. Nobody argued, Harry nodded grimly. 

Slowly but surely he had found his way to the center of the storm. The others were closing in and they formed a circle back to back within the sphere of doom the dementors had created. Annabeth slid her free hand into his and he instantly felt steadier. Only one person was missing, he realized with growing despair. They had lost sight of Malfoy.

"Cover me for a second," yelled Leo, already digging around in his toolbelt with complete disregard for the certain death looming over him. Good to know his friends trusted him, thought Percy sarcastically. Promptly a new wave of Dementors swooped down toward Leo. 

Piper and Jason surged instantly, Percy just a beat behind them. They managed to deter the monsters for a few more seconds as Piper cursed Leo under the growing strain of years of emotional baggage. 

Then Piper went back to her fruitless attempt of convincing the Dementors they'd rather go get mani-pedis than kill them. With a wry smirk, he supposed she knew they were immune to her charmspeak and used it to work through her frustration instead.

Somewhere deep within, Percy was glad that he had learned to act on anger and spite while still doing the right thing a long time ago. Had he always relied on positive emotions to guide him, he'd have collapsed by now.

He scanned the area in hopes for a sign of life from Malfoy but he was nowhere to be seen. Even without the invisibility cloak, there would still be darkness all around them, literally and metaphorically. He would be impossible to spot.

Behind him, Leo pulled a shiny bronze dog pipe out of his toolbelt and Percy really hoped this wasn't like the time he panicked and could only produce breath mints instead of useful tools. Piper and Jason also shot him worried looks but Leo ignored them and blew the pipe. No sound came out. 

"We can't hold them off for much longer," exclaimed one of the twins and Percy silently agreed.

"Leo?" Asked Jason with friendly concern.

It wasn't exactly reassuring that Leo was tugging at his hair in panic but he insisted they had to keep going for just a few more minutes. Percy doubted they had seconds. Yet again he scanned the area for a life sign of his annoying housemate.

Then he saw it, an unusually big chunk of evil ghost spirits were hovering close to the ground, just outside their circle. As if they were praying on someone invisible lying on the ground. Watching the scene, he weighed his options. He needed to buy the others some time. Harry couldn't hold up much longer but they needed him specifically to perform the spell.

As if the situation wasn't surreal enough, an expensive-looking silver car chose that exact moment to screech to a violent halt in front of them. Percy barely registered the dumbstruck faces of the Dursleys behind the glass as he went over his chances.

How many minutes did Leo mean by a few? 3? 5? 15? The coldness was clouding his thoughts again, his mind turned sluggish and his moves became uncertain. Pulling himself together he shook his head and caught Harry's eye.

The other boy was shaking and his face had turned into a faded black and white picture of who he really was but his features were certain and defiant. Percy vaguely nodded in the direction where he suspected Malfoy on the floor. Harry followed his gaze and recognition flashed across his features.

Now that he could be sure that somebody else had an eye out for the Slytherin, he could act on his plan. It admittedly ranked pretty high on the reckless scale, considering he expected to pass out, but somebody had to do it.

Slowly he pulled his hand from Annabeth's grip. She called his name and it at once sounded so distant and hopeless that he wanted to give up. Instead, he mumbled an apology and took a few shaky steps away from the group. Bracing himself against the cold that was trying to steer him further away he staggered on.

"You want bad memories? Come and get them!" He roared at the sky, doing his best to draw strength from his anger. He risked a glance back at his friends and noted with satisfaction that it had worked. At least half of all the Dementors was now focused solely on him. He was the easy prey, which gave the others some room.

It only had the slight disadvantage that as expected, half of them were now coming down on him. At once.

Focusing his thoughts he ran, and attacked them with Riptide, and tried whatever he could to hold out for just a few more seconds. How long would they be interested in him if he passed out? Until he died? How long would it take them to kill him? Not very long he presumed. 

He didn't know how much time had passed when they surrounded him, he could only hope that it had been enough. As his knees hit the asphalt, the world seemed to tilt dangerously. Just before his mind slipped away into all-encompassing darkness, he could have sworn he saw a shimmer of bronze in the pitch-black sky. 

________________________________________

Jason,

'Not good. Worse than not good. Really not good,' his brain supplied helplessly. Percy had vanished in a cloud of death. Nico to his left was arguing with Will about some secret second mission and Piper was nowhere to be seen. Leo's plan had yet to show any effect.

"Any second now," yelled Leo like on command. Harry seemed to take that as his cue. He was heavily relying on Ron and Hermione, the Dementors clearly got to him the most out of all of the wizards. Yet he held himself upright as if death didn't even faze him anymore.

With what looked like an effort of last strength, he let go of his friend. Gripping his wand in both hands he put all his might behind the spell. The storm around them should have swallowed all sound at this distance, instead, an amplified version of Harry's voice boomed through the entire street.

"Expecto Patronum," he drew out the words, desperate conviction in each syllable. Harry's glasses sat crookedly on his nose and he clenched his jaw painfully tight but he held on. 

Everyone froze to watch. Jason would have almost dropped his gladius, distantly he felt Piper gripping his bicep. 

An iridescent white stag erupted out of Harry's wand like a newly formed spring. It galloped in a broad circle around their group and as it went the dementors withdrew. Never before had he seen anything like it, the stag itself seemed too majestic to be real. Holding his breath, he pulled Piper closer in an instinctive attempt to reform their ranks while they could.

One after the other the shadows of fear lifted off of them as the cloaked figures disappeared. He couldn't be sure they'd be gone for good, yet he felt himself relax a little. 

Behind him, Frank turned human again and dropped to the ground next to an open-mouthed Hazel. A forcefield of what could only be described as raw power formed around them, the dementors that came in touch with it screeched in terrible voiceless sounds and distanced themselves as far as they could. Soon there were none left.

Watching the spectacle, he hadn't noticed Harry falling to his knees. The spell was taking the last out of him and Jason briefly wondered just how powerful a wizard had to be to perform that spell in the first place. Harry was still hanging on, letting his stag round them even though it looked as if it was feeding directly of his life power.

Struggling for a clear thought, he went to help but he wasn't the first with the idea. In varying speeds, everyone was staggering towards Harry who had reached Percy's unconscious shape. The closer he got, the clearer he saw that something was wrong.

Hermione kneeled next to Harry, her face was streaked with tears. She was shaking his shoulders rapidly, yelling at him to let go. Harry ignored her, or he couldn't hear her through the strain the magic was putting on him. Either way, Jason doubted the guy would stop before he dropped over.

Hazel appeared next to him and thank the gods she was quicker with the use of magic than the rest of them. "Expelliarmus," she said swiftly and pointed her wand at Harry. As focused as he was on his own spell, Hazel's magic met no resistance and Harry's wand propelled out of his hands.

Like in trance he watched as it fell and the stag vanished. Still in trance, Harry grasped for it desperately but he had no strength left. The wand rolled a few more steps, Jason shook out of his daze and went to pick it up. The sky around them was clear.

Perhaps it was just the effect of the strange battle but it didn't feel like a victory. Percy was still unconscious and showed no sign of waking up soon, though Annabeth and Will were treating him with ambrosia. Harry was still struggling to regain his breath.

Between coughs, Harry said "stick to the plan," and to Jason's irritation he appeared to be speaking solely to Nico. 

The strange car parked in the middle of the street seemed to have waited in shock until the exact second that Harry attempted to stand up again. Then, like woken out of a nightmare, it revved its engine and perched in the opposite direction never to be seen again. 

He didn't get a chance to consider Harry's words or the car as finally, something familiar appeared in his line of view. The enormous bronze wings of Festus formed an unpierceable roof far above in the sky. The typical faint glow of celestial bronze illuminated the nightly street, bringing some warmth with it. He exhaled deeply.

"Thank the gods it worked," breathed Leo and went to greet his dragon. The wizards stared at him in gobsmacked awe. "I upgraded him before we left Camp, he is now almost as fast as Arion," he said proudly. "I knew we'd need him sooner or later." 

Piper got up and glared at the sky, "we will have to admire your work later, Leo. We need to hurry, look!" She pointed up and sure enough, by the edges of the street dark shadows were beginning to reform. 

"We won't have long till the ministry shows up either," reminded them Ron, though he looked less then pleased at the idea of splitting their group up. 

Leo pressed a hidden button on Festus' neck and one of his wings folded up. Beneath it the metal first slid aside, then new pieces sprouted out. A smooth and modern looking chariot build itself in front of their eyes as if it was an automated origami creation. 

"Everyone on board," called Leo with a broad grin. Jason rubbed his eyes tiredly. 

"Festus can't carry us all," said Jason more to himself than the others. He went through their plan in his head, there was no way around some of them staying behind. Especially should they have to ward the Dementors off once more. 

With a nod, Leo added, "but one demigod has to go with them, someone has to steer Festus. Preferably someone who won't fly him into a wall."

"You can go," Jason answered tonelessly. "Remember when you get to the castle, the teachers will most likely already be looking for us."

One after the other the wizards climbed into the chariot, safe for Ron and Hermione who stubbornly stayed by Harry's side.

Leo, while climbing onto his dragons back explained, "Not necessarily. Festus flew here, from America, in 10 minutes. If he manages another high-speed episode we'll be in Hogwarts in seconds but then there is no way around letting him rest for a day. He will shut down or his entire system could overheat."

"If," echoed Ron unhappily. Harry silently urged him and Hermione on to join the others, eyes firmly trained on the horizon.

Harry swallowed heavily, "Floo the order. Make something up. We can't take on the ministry alone."

Hermione nodded. She and Ron finally joined the others, though her movements were jerky and unsteady as if she had to force herself to trust that Harry would be fine without them.

The second they squeezed into the chariot next to Ginny, Festus hummed to live. Within three seconds, he had pushed himself off the ground, steam was coming out of his nostrils. The wizards yelped as they forcefully realized that the chariot was attached to Festus like a swing set, dangling loosely in the air. 

He could just make out Hermione clutching for something to hold onto when Festus already zoomed away with a loud gasping sound. The dragon burst through the reforming Dementors and was gone before they could do as much as turn around. A smile tugged on his lips, Leo kept managing to amaze.  
________________________________________

Nico,

He had had enough of reckless chosen ones for this lifetime, he decided as he called for the Thestrals.

Those stupid, green-eyed boys with their incurable hero complexes, he grumbled under his breath. Yeah, they were ridiculously handsome but the sheer audacity with which they acted was really getting on his nerves.

The others were giving him strange looks as he blindly attempted to find the coward Slytherin they needed. Harry silently pointed him to a spot on the ground a few steps away and sure enough something invisible reached for him. So the git hadn't died, first good news of the day. He turned to nod at Harry who sagged down with relief.

Those dementors were exactly the kind of monster he absolutely didn't care for. He'd like to keep what little good memories he had, thanks very much. Considering they still loomed over them, he was almost glad that his mission led him elsewhere. 

He made his best guess where Draco now was and pulled him up as two Thestrals landed next to him. The rest of the herd had most likely been smart enough to disappear at some point during the fight. 

Glancing around, his eyes landed on Will who was still frantically attempting to help Harry and Percy. "You're coming with me. We have a separate mission," he had uttered the words before thinking about them but he knew right away that he'd stick with his decision.

Malfoys secret change of sides be damned, he wanted Will with him if he faced that house of horror again. More importantly, he wanted Will away from those pesky monsters. The others could deal. Malfoy kicked him from beneath the invisibility cloak but he happily ignored it.

Will got up, his blue eyes openly displayed a million unasked questions. His honesty would never fail to startle Nico. "Where are we going?" He implied carefully.

To his surprise, Harry's exhausted voice intervened, "just go," he said and Will complied. Those damned chosen-ones, thought Nico yet again.   
________________________________________

Piper,

After Nico and Will took off on their Thestrals, it was suspiciously quiet for a minute or two. The silence weighed heavily on her and the claustrophobic sense that the dementors were still all around just wouldn't leave. She sighed and plopped down on the cold asphalt.

There was no use in fretting over what was to come if she could also take what little time she had and rest for a while. At least the wizards were safe for now. Her eyes fell on Harry, almost all of them, she corrected herself.

Jason was stalking up and down the pavement and she had half a mind to use her charmspeak to stop him. Just as she was about to say something, the door from one of the houses behind them opened. As one, their group turned around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thank you for reading! (especially if you came back after the long break I took)
> 
> Tbh I don't know what to say other than that my life has been pretty crazy as of late and I am truly sorry. Though as promised, this story is not abandoned and there is some action in this chapter to hopefully make up for the long wait.   
> I have to admit this is kind of growing over my head but I'm also ridiculously excited that this has more than 500 kudos! Thank you all so much!
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapter, which will hopefully be out a lot sooner than this was.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos mean the world to me, please let me know what you thought!


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29, Hazel

She was shivering violently because of the previous attack and instantly expected another monster. Her fists clenched even as they were still shaking and she stared into the darkness, her breath coming in short wisps. 

Absently she noted that Percy was apparently beginning to wake up, at least that was what she could make out from the excited whispers. Somehow they sounded distant and it was hard to focus on anything but the movement in front of her. Surely enough she heard Percy groan and scratched at least that problem from her mental list. 

The memory of her own death threatened to overtake her ever since the dementors showed up, but she just blinked the tears away and got ready to keep fighting. Deep down she bartered with fate, hoping for a senselessly brutal monster this time. She liked those far better than the ones that got into your head.

None of her guesses were right, instead, a frail old woman with loose grey hair bristled toward them urgently. Hazel shook her head once in an attempt to clear the illusion but there was no illusion. 

As the woman approached them with strained small steps, she saw Harry hastily hide his wand. "Mrs. Figg?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, Harry my dear," she answered in a voice roughened by age, "I wouldn't put that wand away if I were you. There is no telling whether these beasts will return," she scolded softly.

Breathing deeply, Hazel allowed her shoulders to sag. Once her heart rate had calmed down a little, she flicked her wand and the streetlights finally came back on. The row of houses looked decidedly less scary at once.

The others complained and rubbed their eyes but she was far more interested in the hushed conversation Harry was having with the old woman. Her friend's complaints quieted down just as the curious neighbor told Harry that she had called for the Order, after informing him not unproudly, that Dumbledore had her as a lookout in this street.

Which prompted her to wonder where else that tricky headmaster had 'lookouts.' According to Harry's sinister expression, he was thinking the same. Annabeth joined their conversation to subtly figure out how much Mrs. Figg had seen and what precisely she told the Order.

Her thoughts screeched to a halt. 'The Order,' she thought and it coldly echoed through her head. That was definitely not supposed to happen. All their planning had seemingly not yet been enough and the idea made her skin itch uncomfortably. 

It had already been far more than the demigods usually did to prepare but the wizarding community was so tight-knit that it appeared they had to be even more thorough in the future. As if every move they made caused ripples in the fabric of reality, she thought, there was no decision they could make that wouldn't be noticed immediately. Perhaps Harry really was the seam holding it all together.

She shook the thought off, the idea that their luck was literally as thin as a thread appeared decidedly to vivid for her taste. She could almost feel it all coming undone at the trace of a wrong decision, unraveling to nothing.

Glancing at Frank she saw the streetlight reflecting in his eyes, casting dull shadows over his face. At once the abstract constructs of fear that had been threatening to choke her began to lift. Even if only to be replaced by more pressing matters.

Back to the much more tangible problems of the present, possible excuses drifted through her mind. One more unbelievable than the next, but it was too late. A loud pop gave them a mere second of a warning. 

Remus Lupin appeared in the middle of the street. His travel cloak was worn and his expression somehow stern and tired at the same time. 

The sound was followed by several more as other Order members appeared. Most of them wearing some odd combination of traveling clothes and pajamas. Guilt crept up her neck for waking these adults she hardly even knew. Some of them she didn't know at all.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding forward urgently, their eyes wide open and Hazel understood right away that they expected to find at least one of their children here. She sent a prayer to the gods that the other had safely made it to Hogwarts by now. If something happened to them on the way it would be so much worse than had they just faced their parents. 

Her friends were visibly bracing themselves for the oncoming questions and accusations. At least half of them looked as guilty as she felt. Tonight had been a terrible risk, possibly a mistake altogether mainly because yet again they had forgotten not to treat the wizards like demigods, that became clear now.

Lupin put one hand on Harry's shoulder, examining him in the weak street light. "What happened?" He pried, now looking wide awake and worried sick. 

"Dementors," Harry croaked, and it was enough for the moment to deter from the question as to why they weren't at school. Sighing gratefully, she watched the uproar the simple statement had caused.

Over the mix of voices, Mr. Weasley asked who else was with them. He and his wife didn't even try to hide their relief when Harry answered with 'no one'. Only for them to instantly join the small group doting on him, ignoring his annoyed expression. It aided to confirm her suspicion that he had faced dementors before, there was some kind of history there and she needed to ask him about it, but not tonight.

Jason was the first to properly awaken from the trance the monster encounter had put them all in. While the others still mumbled half-answers to each of the adults questions, he was in full on preator mode. 

Rattling off battle statistics as if he were filing an official report, Jason recounted, "there were about 300 of them, possibly more, it got hard to see were they ended,-" instantly he too was engulfed by the tense group of startled adults, drowning out his voice. Hazel strongly considered to just sit down on the street and wait it all out. Tiredness was catching up to her as the adrenalin wore off and she fought a yawn.

A still rather dazed-looking Percy waded over to join her. So did Frank. They watched in companionable silence as Jason, Piper, and Annabeth wove a believable construct of excuses and explanations for them. She wasn't sure how far in the recount of events they had gotten when the group began to dissolve with the vague idea that remaining out in the open for so long wasn't wise.

Though the imminent risk was over, the bad feeling clouding her intuition wouldn't leave. Tonight had been more than a simple mission, it had been a test. A test to them, to their newfound unity and each of their abilities. The result, wasn't entirely dreadful, they had succeeded in the mission itself after all, but the fact that they had been found out left her uneasy.   
________________________________________

Harry,

An hour later, they found themselves around the familiar kitchen table of Grimmauld Place number 12. Several disappointed faces were staring at them as Mrs. Weasley prepared a midnight snack consisting mainly of chocolate pudding.

The dull thudding in his head had yet to stop but he figured he could have gotten off worse. 

Letting his eyes wander around the room to check on the others he was faced with tense and exhausted faces. If he had learned one thing tonight it was that dementors could shake anybody, even demigods. Somehow that made it more bearable than most of the encounters he had had with them in his third year.

Annabeth was rubbing her eyes tiredly, she held Percy's hand under the table and something told him that she wasn't at all satisfied with how the day's events had panned out. He didn't blame her, all their scheming had pretty much gone down the drain. 'But the street is now under protection,' the last bit of optimism in him kept arguing. Still, it didn't feel like a success.

Frank and Hazel were heavily leaning against each other, both seemed half asleep. Piper and Jason appeared to still be arguing with Mr. Weasley. They had so many unexplainable things to explain come morning that his head hurt even thinking about it. Keeping track of who knew what was going to be more exhausting than anticipated.

The experience had left him somehow both, humming with adrenalin and blackout tired. When he had gone up against the dementors something strange had happened, he knew it, but the whole memory felt a little fuzzy already and he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Yelling and flashes of light came back to him, the weird feeling that he couldn't let go, euphoria and fear that weren't his own too. Then nothing but darkness. 

Having fought Dementors before he knew that it was always awful but not in the way it had been tonight, he shuddered. Several pairs of eyes had been following him ever since they got to Grimmauld Place. Judging by them, he was fairly certain he didn't want to see his own reflection at the moment.

With a deep sigh, he tried to tune back into the conversation that was most likely directed at him but that just made his headache worse. Risking to tell the others about his weird experience didn't seem like a viable option but waiting for it to happen again who-knows-when was much too risky as well.

Most of the people present had never cast a Patronus, explaining small differences in feeling to them wouldn't do any good. The demigods wouldn't get why a spell suddenly feeling different was a big deal and the Order would freak out entirely. Tremendous. Situations like these seemed to love him these days. He ached to have Ron and Hermione with him, at least they would try to understand.

Anything having even remotely to do with a loss of control on his side would get him further excluded from the Order but the longer he thought about it the surer he was that this was important. Ignoring something like this would be entirely irresponsible, he had learned that in his second year. He mulled it over again and again, entirely in trance until he came to a decision that set a familiar kick of conviction through him.   
________________________________________

Percy, 

The disbelief had him tightly in its grip that night. They had been so well prepared and yet everything still went to shit. 

Either way, he wasn't doing as badly as Harry, he decided with a wary glance across the table. He was getting investigated by one person after the next. Percy winced slightly in sympathy as he watched Harry plant his head on the table in pure frustration. 

That counter spell obviously had taken everything out of him, his hands were still a little shaky and his eyes darted across the room. Whatever tonight had been, Percy doubted that chocolate could fix it.

Remus cleared his throat and pulled him out of his thoughts. "Is that really necessary?" He scolded Harry, mildly amused at his table manners despite everything else.

"300 dementors Remus," Harry mumbled in response and merely shifted his head.

Percy leaned in closer inconspicuously, not wanting to miss any part of the conversation. Out of all the adult wizards, Remus had to be his favorite, as the only one who was willing to trust their judgment. He just hoped that the man wasn't wrong for doing that.

After making sure the others were distracted, Remus murmured, "even though I don't approve of how you continuously manage to end up in situations like that,-" he raised an eyebrow in a hint of how he was supposed to act, "I do have to say I'm proud of you Harry," he conceded with a surprising amount of mischief in his eyes. 

That got Harry to sit up properly, he stared at Remus. "Thank you, that means a lot," he replied slowly as if he were waiting for the catch. Percy knew that tone, he'd heard it in his own voice way too many times.

To his surprise, Remus remained as sincere as he had begun and it was obvious that his words were only intended for Harry's ears. Still, Percy just couldn't believe that there wasn't a catch. 

"You've come unbelievably far since I first met you. Don't forget that," Lupin added kindly. "I just don't suppose that is going to save you once the others think to ask what you were doing outside of school in the first place," he went on casually. Harry almost choked on his chocolate. 

Patting him on the back with an interested sparkle in his eyes, Remus murmured, "thought so. I do hope you come up with a good explanation until then," he ended with a searching look as if he were hoping to pry the truth from Harry but knew it would be a fruitless attempt. Percy grinned, the guy was just growing on him more and more.

"I'll explain it all eventually," Harry apologized, slightly more red in the face than usual. Remus nodded with acceptance.

Before he could add anything else, Jason plopped down on a chair next to them and effectively ended the conversation. Remus gave Harry a last meaningful glare before the conversation drifted back to more normal matters. In the end they were all just glad that no one had gotten seriously hurt that night, Percy supposed. 

Hopefully that was true, he thought as he wondered where the rest of their little group was at the moment. They should all be back to Hogwarts by now, maybe even Nico, Will, and baby bigot had made it back already as well. Yes, he convinced himself that that was the case, he couldn't do much other than stay optimistic anyways.

Soon after that, the adults decided it was useless to attempt to get any more out of them at this time. They were unceremoniously sent to bed to reconvene in the morning, which none of them were mad about. An owl had been sent to Hogwarts to let the headmaster know they were fine but would most likely not attend classes the next day.

Sleep came for him the second his head hit the pillow but his dreams were less than pleasant.  
________________________________________

Annabeth,

The night came and went with lots of tossing and turning and uncomfortably little sleep. She rubbed her eyes and contemplated drowning herself in the cup of coffee she had firmly grasped in her hand as the third round of questioning began. It was just past 9 am and she longed to be back at Camp where adults didn't give a damn about anything.

She supposed she should be glad that there even was coffee at Grimmauld place, unlike school which only offered tea. Piper next to her was beginning to look dizzy, most likely from the strain of using her charmspeak so extensively this morning. She shot a glare at Jason who had managed to sneak past them and get breakfast while they were essentially being held captive. He vanished behind the doorframe.

"So walk me through this again dear," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice a smidge to strained to convince them they were safe yet. Annabeth sighed. It was an unusually bright morning for England and it took her a second to register how long they had been here already.

Every day they spent at grimmauld place since their arrival in England, it appeared a little more put together as if it were slowly growing from unused home to military base. These days, she had learned, members of the order came and went however they pleased. It was a good sign, it meant they were organizing their forces, taking this seriously, and preparing. Change in motion always filled her with a sense of satisfaction.

Putting down her cup she mustered the woman, "demigods have lucid dreams," she repeated slowly. If she wasn't so painfully aware that the woman was just worried about her kids Annabeth would be up and gone by now.

"Which are like visions essentially, yes," she finished for Annabeth, her red hair bobbing as she nodded along. "But where do these visions come from?" She flicked her wand around loosely, "that is a complicated and imprecise bit of magic you are talking about here. Wouldn't it be more likely that it was just-"

This time Annabeth did cut her short. "No. With all due respect, it wasn't just a dream. Demigods get them all the time. They are imprecise, yes, but we have them for a reason and they saved my life more than once," she repeated impatiently and allowed her thoughts to drift for a second.

Percy and Harry were both still asleep after last night's chaos and she hoped they'd be better rested when they got up than she was.

They had yet to hear anything from the others, however, they hadn't heard from McGonagall either which meant that should they not be back yet at least their absence hadn't been noticed.

"It's not like intuition either, we physically see parts of what is going to happen or things that happened in the past or are currently happening to someone we know. It can be anything relevant to a quest really."

"But Harry isn't a demigod," Mrs.Weasley insisted fearfully. "He shouldn't have visions like that," she pursed her lips with distaste and Annabeth felt a stab of guilt for lying to her.

Sitting her own mug down with a little too much force, Piper chimed in, "Demigod or not, we all live in the world of the gods. Demigod or not, Harry has a quest to accomplish, its not unheard of for mortals to have visions," she replied mechanically. 

Only because she had known Piper for a while now she saw that she wasn't having a good morning. She looked radiant as ever and there was a lively sparkle in her eyes but Annabeth suspected strongly that it was fake. Her features seemed harder than usual. Every time she took a sip of coffee, the left corner of her mouth tugged down for a millisecond. She was most likely only drinking the stuff to have something to do. Still, it was good to have a partner in crime.

"Ma'am," Piper said with a worrying amount of power in her voice. "I am sorry. We convinced Harry to take action. It was entirely us demigods, but that is what we are here for essentially. It needed to be done and I can't guarantee that something like it won't happen again. We did what we had to, don't blame Harry," she all but ordered.

Swaying slightly in her chair, Mrs. Weasley blinked the glazyness out of her eyes and echoed that it wasn't Harry's fault, most likely unaware of her own voice. Annabeth too felt herself agreeing that Harry wasn't to blame for anything ever until Piper not so subtly kicked her under the table. She shook out of her daze and saw that Piper wore a proud smirk, impeccably in place, almost hiding how bad she really felt about using her power like this.

It didn't sit well with Annabeth how often Piper had a mask in place these days. She supposed she had to have her guards up since she was rooming with the Slytherins but it was still worrying. 

Jason chose that moment to reappear and pulled her out of her thoughts. This time he had two steaming plates in his hands. He offered them a winning smirk and set two freshly prepared omelets down in front of them. Mrs. Weasley seemed startled, then flustered and apologetic, she got up and mumbled her apology for not realizing they hadn't had breakfast yet. Mentally Annabeth cheered with relief.

"Thank you," Annabeth and Piper said in unison, and it was entirely genuine. Jason grinned and took Mrs. Weasley's place across from them. 'Such a Hufflepuff,' Annabeth thought and was irritated at herself for thinking like that the instance after. Something told her they'd come out of this adventure as different people than they had been in the beginning and again she mused that there was something satisfying about ongoing change and growth.

Any further thought was quickly deemed unimportant as she dug into her breakfast and considered to offer Jason that she'd do his homework from now on if he cooked for them more often. Piper too had visibly lightened up and was making heart eyes at her boyfriend. 

Quietly they discussed their version of events and what the others needed to know before the rest of the order showed up. It was an oddly normal breakfast and a sense of calm was beginning to fill her, she clung to it, well aware that it wouldn't last long.

________________________________________

Harry,

Around noon the order reformed for a discussion of the events though it soon turned into a scolding. With the demigod's help, he'd managed to form a convincing version of last night's events that wouldn't get them declared insane. 

He had taken his chance and was sitting next to Sirius, he and Remus were the only ones somewhat on his side and it felt good to have at least some support. 

As the discussion was beginning to twist into exasperated silence more and more often, Remus suddenly chuckled. "I don't think I've ever seen students from all the houses defend each other as fiercely as you lot do. I think perhaps there is something we can learn from all of you after all. On tolerance, not wise decision making," he concluded jokingly.

Percy grinned and jumped at the chance to change the subject. "I'm glad to see that you're not treating me any different now that you know that I'm apparently a snake."

Faces all across the room fell and it occurred to him that the others had in fact not known that Percy was a Slytherin. 

Shrinking into his seat after having defended Percy unapologetically for starting this mission, he glanced at Piper. Less than an hour ago there had been a serious discussion among the adults whether she should be in the room at all because of her power. Now a dark cloud crossed over her features for a second time.

He stared at Lupin questioningly who seemed to have noticed his mistake. With a slight grimace he said, "Minerva mentioned that your group had been entirely split up. Though she didn't tell us who was in which house." He shrugged and it dawned on Harry that they had all been wearing traveling cloaks last night which had effecitively if unintenionally hidden their school ties. And none of them were wearing uniforms now.

"They did that on purpose. To get intel on all the houses," Harry burst out before he knew what he was doing. Now the demigods were glaring at him too and he shrunk even further. Though it wasn't technically a lie he had surely not been supposed to say that. 

Kingsley mustered them coldly, "the sorting hat can not be tricked," he announced.

"But he can be influenced," Percy mumbled which earned him several raised eyebrows. "Anyways," he said hurriedly. They were really staggering from one landmine to the next this morning.

Though if Kingsley was right then that was interesting information. Harry had already had a feeling that the demigods plan to pick their houses beforehand hadn't actually worked. Percy and Annabeth wouldn't be in separate houses if it had.

He wasn't sure what to do with the information but it did offer a new perspective. After a moment of contemplation, he found to his own surprise that it didn't actually change anything. He already knew them, with or without their houses.

Briefly, he wondered how many students he had wrongly put in boxes because he saw their house colors before he ever bothered to really speak to them. The thought made him severely uncomfortable. 

Especially when an annoyingly platinum blonde Slytherin found his way into his thoughts he squirmed in his mind. No, Harry decided, that guy was bad news with or without house colors. At least some truths remain unchanged, though it provided him with little comfort.

Percy's voice somewhat brought him back to the present, "After meeting your relatives last night, I have to say I truly believe in your strength as a leader. It must have taken real self-control not to kill them while living there," he grimaced and his expression was a little too grim to match his joking tone. 

A murmur went through the room and Harry barely registered that he should probably tell Percy it wasn't smart to joke about killing muggles if he was wearing a green tie. No matter which muggles. It certainly made the atmosphere drop yet again but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to pay it any mind.

Still half in contemplation of the houses he replied, "yeah, that was nothing. Mildly annoying if anything. If you wanted to know what they are like at their worst you should have taken a look at the cupboard they locked me in when I was younger. The one under the stairs, we walked past it. That was my bedroom until I turned 12."

It went so deadly silent that for a second he was sure somebody had cast a silencing charm. If the atmosphere had been cold before, it was below freezing now. 

There was none of the usual shuffling around the room, nobody was whispering or clinking with a mug, nobody was tapping their fingers against the table or their foot against the floor. It would have been silent enough to wake the dead, the kind of silence that demands to be noticed. It wasn't until he lifted his head that he realized he had said something wrong.

Everybody was staring at him. He should be used to it by now but still, his skin crawled. Mentally he recounted the last few minutes to figure out what had triggered this reaction but he couldn't come up with anything. Helplessly glancing at Sirius he hoped for some sort of hint.

His godfather stared back at him with wide eyes, a trace of what Azkaban had done to him was shining through. The last time that had happened Peter Pettigrew was present. Harry swallowed heavily, hoping he was misplacing the expression.

"Those muggles did what with you?" He asked, his voice barely above a growl. Something clicked in place in Harry's head.

"Forget I mentioned it. It's not as bad anymore and it's only for two more summers anyway," he attempted to soothe it over but was well aware that he didn't sound as convincing as he'd have liked to.

Remus was shooting worried glances at Sirius whilst trying to hide his own shock. "Harry, why on earth didn't you say anything? They had no right-," he stopped, puzzled as to where he should even begin.

A dry, humorless chuckle forced its way up to his throat. "I'm fairly fucking certain that wouldn't have changed anything," he ground out, anger flaring up in his chest that was long overdue. Several people flinched away from his word choice but he didn't care.

Standing up forcefully he found himself addressing the entire room. Power and white-hot rage ran through him as well as a cruel sense of satisfaction over having their attention for once. 

"You would have felt bad for me," he sounded hoarse and bitter but he didn't stop, "and what would it have changed? It's Dumbledore's order that I live there. Nobody is going to do anything about it." 

Shocked faces stared back at him. He knew he had seconds before some of them would shift to pity. Yet he had a sudden urge to speak while he could, while anger burned all unspoken promises and unfair truces he held with the headmaster.

"It's the same with all of his orders, we suffer in silence and never get told why. Yet we comply, desperate for some trust, some hope, some anything," he swore. 

There was still so much unsaid, so many instances these people ought to know about. But his courage left him when he saw how sinister Sirius's expression had turned.

Remus pulled him back down, forced him to sit, the tension left his body. "Forget it," he mumbled uncertainly, already regretting some of his words as he became aware of them. The genuine worry in the people around him slowed him down.

"So," Percy cleared his throat, "I was going to propose for you to come back to Camp Halfblood over summer with me anyways but I suppose this settles it?" He said in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood. "I mean, we have a forest full of monsters and all, you'll feel right at home."  
________________________________________

Harry,

For the rest of the day, Remus and Sirius paced around the house and filled it with their restlessness. Occasionally they snuck away to argue quietly when they thought nobody could hear them. Harry's heart sunk a little every time he became aware of them. 

Mrs. Weasley was unusually pale ever since his terrible outburst. She kept mumbling about how she should have believed Ron in his second year. 

Harry felt miserable. This was the exact reason he hadn't said anything before. All their worrying did was make more people upset and he didn't want any of them to be upset. Though it had one advantage, the rather animated discussion following his outburst had caused the Order to forget about their distrust of the demigods. He hoped that it was once and for all. 

The other kids had reacted just like the wizards when they heard about the Dursleys. At first, it was awful to have twice as many people as expected pry stories about his time with the muggles from him but at least it meant the two groups were bonding. 

Luckily nobody had taken his blaming Dumbledore too seriously, except for maybe Sirius and Percy both of whom surprisingly kept their mouths shut about it. Though he did receive several meaningful glances. 

Remus had briskly decided that Dumbledore really didn't need to know where Harry lived as long as it was safe. He interrogated Annabeth about the security of Camp for a long while but finally, he agreed. Harry was entirely taken aback at how easy the solution felt. 

How much time had he wasted, fretting over his life at the Dursleys, if all this time he really could just have left? It was a strange mix of feelings; annoyance at his own stupidity that prevented him from asking for help for so long and a good amount of giddiness and anticipation as he imagined Camp Halfblood. The name still sounded strange to him.

But their semi-solution still caused some arguing. The Weasleys wanted him to move in with them, which he didn't disagree with but Remus reminded them that it would be better if Dumbledore didn't find out about this. The thought of hiding things from the headmaster left them all uneasy and depressed since he was the one person they were all supposed to be loyal to. 

Dumbledore was a symbol for the cause of this war and nobody wanted to think about what it would mean should he not be who they thought he was.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 

Draco, 

It was still dark when the familiar outline of Malfoy Manor came into view, stark against the nightly sky. His throat closed up. It had been a very long time since Draco Malfoy looked forward to coming home, now as they passed the rose bushes he let his fingers graze the thorns and wondered if he even still had a home. This place held his family's history, sure, but he the only heir clearly no longer belonged. Hadn't felt welcome in quite some time. 

It was strange how normal it felt to break in at night like a thief with supposed enemies at his side, he didn't feel as guilty as he should have. Maybe this had been coming for a longer time than he had thought at first, maybe he had subconsciously been waiting for something like this. 

Schooling his features he decided on an approach and nodded towards a window on their left for the other two to understand. It lead straight to the kitchen and was most likely the least well-secured window on the entire front, having Malfoy blood alone granted him safe passage. Casting a quick silencing spell he felt the last bits of remorse evaporate. All that was left in him was dry anger and resignation about his insane father, his distant mother, and the bastard of a Dark Lord who had turned them that way from the warm family they used to be. 

His bitterness came in handy as he promptly decided to smash the window instead of picking its lock. A single burst of white-hot uncontrolled magic that had been simmering in him all day finally demanded to be freed. The glass shards exploded in every direction, taking sharp turns in midair to avoid them. There was something satisfying about the destruction but he hastily regained control, letting magic run wild could have some awful side effects, overly vivid memories and visions only the most harmless of them. He certainly didn't need those. 

Pulling himself up in one smooth movement, he considered what he had learned throughout the evening for distraction. Flashes of the pristine muggle kitchen forcefully came over him as he jumped off the window sill into Malfoy Manors kitchen. His muscles burned but he didn't care and his movements wouldn't betray any of his pain, he was too practiced in hiding things for that. 

Granted, it was bigger than the muggle kitchen and had house elves and magic but it was also just a kitchen with pots and pans and ingredients for the next days' meals. 

Mechanically he turned around, picked up a shard of glass, sliced his palm open in one smooth movement. The pain only made him flinch for a second, he met Will's worried eyes through the empty window frame. "Malfoy blood passes the wards, this will confuse the magic enough to let you through," he explained and at the same time wondered when he had come up with that plan. 

Stretching out his open hand over the old wood, he allowed his blood to drip steadily, drawing a line. There was a very real time when he wouldn't have cut himself for anybody but after the dementors, the few drops hardly seemed noteworthy. After an entire summer with a Dark Lord in his childhood home, all pain seemed hardly noteworthy. 

Offering his clean hand to Will, he pulled him inside, and Nico next. Nico hesitated to take his hand but too briefly to indicate anything of importance. The two were shifting uneasily, undoubtedly remembering their last botched break-in. 

Leading the way deeper into the old room, he carelessly grabbed a clean kitchen towel from a counter. There was no pain coming from his palm or maybe he didn't feel it cause everything else also hurt. But before he could wrap it around the wound to prevent a blood trail, a single drop splattered down and sank into the white fabric. In morbid fascination, he felt all his hurt and misery leave for a second then it reappeared strong enough it would have knocked him over had it been physical. Only that it wasn't his pain. Or his blood. 

He saw every story his father had ever told him about the 'golden times' play out before him and violent shudders overcame him. He saw all of it; Muggles in the dirt. Stories of muggles being hunted for sport like the animals they were in his fathers' gleeful voice narrating the vision. Muggles running for their lives, reaching for each other to no avail, screaming in pain as they were abused by forces they didn't understand. 

Somehow he'd always assumed that these stories had been overexaggerated for amusement. Now there was no longer anything amusing about them, he felt his stomach turn, knew he was covered in cold sweat. 

His fathers' glee turned malicious in his memory. The pictures wouldn't stop flooding over him; Humans, not muggles, lying dead on the ground, dead for no reason. Now a small voice in his head asked him, 'what if nothing was overexaggerated?' And there was nothing amusing about it anymore. Not the stories, not his sheltered childhood, not in the excuses his family believed. He felt sick to the core. He felt his fingers curl around the rim of a sink, the cold metal brought him back to reality. A reality he no longer wanted to live in. 

He wondered how many signs he had ignored, how many times he should have turned his back on all of this, if it would have made a difference. 

His mental breakdown could only have lasted a few seconds, Nico and Will waited slightly to the side. They must have assumed he was upset about betraying his family or something equally meaningless. Family hadn't always been meaningless, it used to be the most important thing in his life but now. Now what? 

Their indifference stirred him, he hardly had the right to moan. Wallowing in self-pity had to wait until he was back in the safety of Slytherin common room. 

Pulling himself together he took a deep breath and strode across the black tile, gesturing for the other two to follow. They remained silent. Just before the door fell shut behind them he remembered to say to the empty room, "should any houselves have listened, you are not to tell or show anyone what you saw. This is an order." From today on, nobody would fix his mistakes, perfection was no longer just expected, it was the only option. When he turned to face the others, his perfect mask of nonchalance was back in place. 

Yet, his mind was racing faster than any broom could fly, what would he do once they were out of here? He had to reevaluate everything. He needed new allies, new connections, a new path for his life. How he was supposed to do any of that without any leverage in his favor was beyond him. But first, he had to survive the night. 

They snuck through the ghostly corridor that even by day was only frequented by house elves. Disliked snoring ancestors in crumbling antique frames bestowed the walls. He silently bemoaned his old life as they passed them, wondering where precisely the difference was between a traitor and someone making his own choices for the first time. 

This was a dangerous game to be playing and he found himself far deeper immersed than he cared to be. Curse Potter. His allegiances might have shifted but the bane of his existence was the same, if anything his hatred for the Gryffindor only grew. How dare he use Slytherin's methods on him? How dare he organize his forces and act like the leader the dark side had told him the guy could never grow to be? What did he get out of ruining his life year after year? How dare he make him question his choices? Who did Potter think he was? 

It was easy enough to slip through the nightly corridors unnoticed, unless a meeting had been called the house should be mainly empty as it was. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out where he should deposit the book without it looking suspicious. Someone had to find it, but it couldn't be somewhere where it wouldn't have been lost in the first place either. 

In the end, he figured it would be safest to place it among wormtails things. He was the only one stupid enough that everyone else would assume he was the one who lost it in the first place. 

It hardly took two minutes to find the shabby guest room which luckily was unoccupied as he had expected. He picked the lock and levitated the book onto the nearest shelf, the other two's watchful eyes on his every move. The book slipped in place and they all exhaled deeply. 

That was it, technically their mission was done. But a deep gut feeling made him halt, there had to be something else they could do if they were here already. Who knew if it would ever be this easy to get in here ever again. 

Glancing at the two demigods he wondered how much they would go along with, indecision clearly playing out on his face. Something about Nico's dark eyes still unsettled him. The guy seemed to silently be daring him to make a decision at all times, maybe now Draco could give him what he wanted. He stood up a little straighter.  
_________________________________

Harry, 

It wasn't long until they were saying goodbye to the Weasleys yet again. Round after round of hugs and false promises to stay out of trouble from now on had him dizzy with guilt. But before he was forced to lie to Mrs. Weasley yet again, Sirius pulled him aside. 

Everybody else stood squeezed around the fireplace in the living room. As he stepped into the hallway with his Godfather, the cheerful voices followed them outside as a diluted echo of what they actually were. 

They got special permission from Dumbledore to floo back into the school, which was usually strictly forbidden. Harry couldn't help but wonder why he had gotten away with the stunt they pulled but he'd rather not ask. Probably had something to do with being the chosen one he thought bitterly. 

"I wanted to speak with you privately before you leave again," Sirius said somberly and Harry snapped out of his thoughts. "Harry, I know you have gotten enough warnings to last a lifetime. But Remus and I agree that you should have this-" he pulled a crumpled old photo out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. 

He recognized some of the people right away, others he had never seen before. A group of about twenty young adults smiled and waved at him from the paper, Sirius and his parents stood in the first row. He looked up at Sirius questioningly, this moment felt too earnest for it to be simply about a picture. Even if it was one of his dead parents. 

"The original Order of the Pheonix," he said with a drawn-out breath, "for what little good it did us." He went on to explain who had died and lived, and what great deeds these strangers had accomplished. For Sirius they were former friends, people he knew and was proud of, people he had lost. 

Harry felt a familiar weight settle on his shoulders. All of these people had died and unless he defeated Voldemort, it would have been for nothing. His heart ached for the lives that had been wasted, the families destroyed like his own. 

"History repeats itself, Harry," Sirius went on, "I want you to be aware of that. It will not be long before things will be exactly as bad as they were back then. Awful times bring out the best and the worst in people, Harry, do not forget that." 

The warning echoed in his mind and he thought of how invincible he had felt with the demigods the other day. How the people in that photograph must have felt the same. Swallowing his nerves he said, "a war is coming, isn't it?" He hadn't meant for the words to come out as a whisper, but what difference did it make. Sirius nodded solemnly. 

_________________________________ 

Ginny, 

"I swear, McGonagall must have known something," Ron repeated for the uptenth time. She sighed but couldn't argue. 

By some miracle, they had made it back to the castle before breakfast. Yet something between their unbelievably tired expressions and the metal dragon, which had mysteriously appeared overnight just in the line of sight of McGonagall's office window, had given them away. 

To McGonagalls credit, she didn't give them away, or merlin forbid, told Umbridge about her suspicions. However, she had very decidedly 'offered' them the job of cleaning the trophy room after classes had ended. They didn't dare complain or ask questions but it sure was rotten work to do after pulling an all-nighter fighting dementors. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred fling the wet rag he was scrubbing the shelf with at Ron's face. Loud arguing ensued and she bit down on her lip to prevent laughter from bubbling up. 

They may be heading into terrible danger, but it was easy to forget in moments like this.  
_________________________________ 

Percy, 

Once they were back at Hogwarts, he could no longer avoid having to focus on his classes. Which was a shame because he was great at ignoring school work. 

In charms, a girl named Padma Patil had been partnered with him and her polite smile grew more forced with each second. They were supposed to charm a clock to say the time out loud but no matter what Percy did, his kept singing the ABC, loudly and in wrong order. In the end, Padma fixed the project entirely on her own without more than an annoyed glance at Percy. Flitwick awarded her extra points for her trouble, which seemed to satisfy her. 

Between classes, he kept an eye out for Harry whom he hadn't seen since breakfast. He also had yet to inform Chiron that Harry would spend the summer with them, which if he was honest was a discussion he didn't look forward to. The entire day he had the creeping suspicion that Dumbledore was going to corner him sooner or later, but nothing happened which was somehow worse. Waiting around like that made him fidgety and the others weren't doing much better. 

Even the wizards were in a forlorn mood, most likely because the Gryffindors had had their first class with Umbridge that morning and as it turns out she was about as terrible as they had expected. So terrible in fact, that Hermione had called in an emergency meeting that was to be held after dinner. 

As he was anxiously awaiting the evening to draw near, he attempted to sort through what they knew but this quest had him stumped. Maybe it had something to do with the ridiculous amount of people involved but Percy found himself struggling to keep track of the real task. 

His thoughts kept circling back to Nico, Will, and their begrudging new ally. If the guy could even be considered an ally. The lack of information he had was really driving him insane, he couldn't pinpoint quite yet whether trusting him or not trusting him would be the greater risk. 

The three of them got back from their mission sometime before lunch, thankfully some other Slytherins had covered for Draco that morning when Snape asked where he was. Percy could have done so himself, but even he had to admit that it would have looked suspicious. The only issue with that was that if Draco's friends covered for him, then that meant they knew he was gone. They were a clever and loyal bunch who undoubtedly knew how to ask the right questions and there was no telling what Draco would say to them should they ask. 

Hopefully, Harry had a clearer view on the whole Draco situation. That was another thing they had to talk about after dinner anyways. As it was, the others didn't know about Draco's part in the most recent events which left Percy even more uneasy than he already was, keeping things like that secret never lead to anything good. They needed to talk, like, yesterday. 

_________________________________ 

Harry, 

It would be a lie to say he wasn't relieved when he saw Draco, Nico, and Will at lunch that day. If only, or at least he told himself so, because it meant they had succeeded with their mission. Nico seemed to have a close eye on Draco, which was totally okay in Harry's book, one thing less he had to worry about himself. And if it seemed to make Draco severely uncomfortable, well then that was just an added bonus. 

Everything considered they had gotten away fairly easy. The Order may be onto them now but there were protective spells over the entirety of private drive and Dumbledore was none the wiser. 

That weird moment when he lost control over his magic and physically couldn't tear his wand away still made him a little uneasy but the longer he thought about it, the surer he became that it was just his imagination. Surely he had wanted to keep casting the spell. There was no such thing as magic acting without being cast. 

The smugness he had hesitantly allowed himself got squashed shortly after by a nervous-looking first year, informing him that Professor McGonagall expected him in her office within the hour. He sighed as he watched the wide-eyed kid hurry away, already planning a detour to their secret room to leave a message for the others before he went to face his sentence. 

Once he had pinned the hastily written message to their wall, he hesitated. After a moments consideration, he got the picture of the old Order out of his bag and pinned it in the center of the wall, a focal point amid their chaos. It felt weird to give it up but the others should see it too. He longed to know what his parents would think but he didn't allow himself to linger. 

Shouldering his bag, he set out towards McGonagall's office with the weird conviction of the righteous settling in his chest. They had work to do and McGonagall could be of help. There was a time he wouldn't have dared to argue with her, he noted, now he had grander issues to consider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry, I know sorry doesn't cut it at this point, but still, SORRY. I am awful and I have no good excuse, truth be told this entire project grew over my head and it took me a while to figure out if I trust myself with a project like this.   
> No other work of mine has gotten this much attention and its really hard not to be intimidated tbh. Over the last coulle months I fought my way out of a major depressive episode and had this chapter half finished in my notes. Now that its finally done I hope that means my writing slump is over and that I'll be able to get back to this story.
> 
> If you are still reading this, now that I love you, and I love this story, and I have no intention of giving up on it.
> 
> As always please please please let me know what you thought in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and thank you for reading!  
> Please let me know in the comments what you thought!  
> What do you think which Hogwarts Houses the seven should be in?  
> Any and all criticism and input is highly appreciated.  
> (However, you should know that English is not my first language. Sorry about any spelling or grammar errors.)


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